2024 did not go out with a whimper, as storms moved into the region on New Year’s Eve, producing heavy rain, wind gusts and prompting a tornado warning and lightning strikes at two iconic D.C. structures.
Lightning struck the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol Tuesday night as the storms rolled through the District.
Safety advocate and former reporter Dave Statter captured the lighting strike. See the one at the U.S. Capitol below:
Watch lighting strike the Washington Monument.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for eastern D.C. and parts of Prince George’s, Anne Arundel, Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties in Maryland on Tuesday evening.
At 6 p.m., severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from Bladensburg to 7 miles southwest of Dunkirk to near Wicomico River, moving northeast at 50 mph, according to the weather service.
Wind gusts up to 60 mph and quarter size hail were forecast with the storm system, the weather service said.
During Tuesday’s storms, a tornado warning was also issued for parts of Prince George’s County, Maryland.
At 5:50 p.m. on Tuesday, the weather service said a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Oxon Hill, or over National Harbor, moving northeast at 40 mph.
The storm was in the area of Camp Springs, Oxon Hill and Temple Hills, according to the NWS.
The severe weather rolled into the D.C. area just before 6 p.m. and was out of the region by 8 p.m.
Post-stormy weather, the forecast is dry and blustery for New Year’s Day in the D.C. area.
WTOP’s Luke Lukert contributed to this report.
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