A flood watch has been issued for Arlington County and the surrounding D.C. metro area.
Forecasters expect 3-5 inches of rain to fall between now and Thursday as a storm system soaks the region for much of the week. The deluge may cause local creeks, streams and low-lying areas to flood. From the National Weather Service:
… FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A
* FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF MARYLAND… THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND VIRGINIA… INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS… IN MARYLAND… ANNE ARUNDEL… CALVERT… CARROLL… CHARLES… HARFORD… HOWARD… MONTGOMERY… BALTIMORE… PRINCE GEORGES… AND ST. MARYS. IN VIRGINIA… ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA… FAIRFAX… KING GEORGE… PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK… SOUTHERN FAUQUIER… SPOTSYLVANIA AND STAFFORD… AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
* FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT
* RAIN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT… WITH THE HEAVIEST RAIN EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. STORM TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL AVERAGE BETWEEN 3 AND 5 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS LIKELY.
* HEAVY AMOUNTS OF RAIN IN SHORT PERIODS OF TIME MAY CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF CREEKS… STREAMS AND URBAN AREAS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. RAPIDLY MOVING WATER IS POWERFUL AND CAN BE A THREAT TO VEHICLES AS WELL AS PEOPLE AND PROPERTY.
YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD WARNINGS BE ISSUED. A WARNING WOULD MEAN THAT WE HAVE MOVED FROM THE POSSIBILITY OF FLOODING TO A FLOODING SITUATION IN A SPECIFIC AREA.
