This weekend’s rainy weather apparently contributed to a fatal crash on the Capital Beltway (I-495) in Springfield, police say.
Virginia State Police troopers responded at 4:40 a.m. on Saturday (Oct. 3) to westbound I-495 for a single-vehicle crash at the 170-mile marker near the interchange with I-95 and I-395, a tangle of highways often called the Springfield Mixing Bowl.
The second half of September at last doused Northern Virginia in enough rain to ease the drought that the region has faced for months.
The drought warning advisory in place for Fairfax County and the rest of Northern Virginia since January has de-escalated to a drought watch, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced last Friday (Oct. 2).
More than 16,000 residences and businesses in Fairfax County lack power following last night’s powerful thunderstorm.
As of 10 a.m., power outages were affecting approximately 16,464 Dominion Energy customers in the county, plus another 607 customers in Fairfax City, according to the utility’s outage map.
The rain that’s expected to persist in the D.C. area throughout Memorial Day weekend has already put a damper on one summer tradition.
Tonight’s Friday Night Live! concert in Herndon has been canceled due to the inclement weather, organizers announced this morning (Friday).
A Tornado Watch and Severe Thunderstorm Warnings issued earlier today (Monday) for Fairfax County have been canceled or expired, but an Areal Flood Warning is now in effect until 6:30 p.m.
“Flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations is imminent or occurring,” the 3:33 p.m. alert said. “Streams continue to rise due to excess runoff from earlier rainfall. Low-water crossings are inundated with water and may not be passable.”
After a stretch of consistently sunny days, the D.C. region is facing a potential bout of rain this afternoon (Wednesday).
The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for the area, including Fairfax County, that’s currently scheduled to take effect at 2 p.m. and continue until 9 p.m.
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department has rescued a group of hikers who got stuck at Scott’s Run Nature Preserve during the storm that just passed through Northern Virginia.
According to scanner traffic, rescue and swift water rescue units were dispatched to the park off of Georgetown Pike around 6:23 p.m., as a thunderstorm dropped a deluge of rain on northern Fairfax County.
Update — More than 10,000 Dominion Energy customers in Fairfax County have lost power as thunderstorms sweep through the D.C. region.
As of 7:20 p.m., the outages appear to be concentrated in the south central part of the county, from Newington up to the Falls Church area, according to the utility’s outage map.
Update — The National Weather Service has just issued a Flash Flood Warning for much of the D.C. area, including Fairfax County and Fairfax City.
The alert is scheduled to be in effect until 6 p.m.
Though the thunderstorm that the National Weather Service warned about yesterday (Wednesday) was largely felt in the form of some strong winds, a new round of storms coming this afternoon (Thursday) could potentially have a more meaningful impact.
The NWS has issued a Flood Watch for the D.C. region, including Fairfax County, that’s currently scheduled to take effect at 3 p.m. and stay in place until midnight. About 1 to 2 inches of rainfall are possible, the agency says, though isolated areas could see as much as 3 to 4 inches.
