Tornado Watch Issued For DC, NoVA; Heavy Rain, Hail Possible

WASHINGTON, DC — National Weather Service issued a tornado watch Friday morning for the Washington, D.C. metro region, including all of Virginia east of I-81 and areas of Maryland east of Hagerstown. The watch is in effect until 2 p.m.

Tornadoes can develop quickly from severe thunderstorms and NWS warns residents to take shelter if one is reported in their area.

Drivers can expect locally heavy rain, which could reduce visibility and cause accumulations of water in the roadways. Minor flooding may occur in streams, creeks and low-lying areas.

The storms may also bring strong winds that could bring down trees and power lines, causing power outages across the region.

A tornado warning was in effect until 7:45 a.m. for Bedford and Amherst, Virginia, which are located east off the Shenandoah Mountains and south of Lynchburg.

NWS radar identified a severe thunderstorm capable of producing rotation over Naola or Big Island in northeastern and central Amherst counties. The storm was moving northeast at 40 mph.

A "tornado watch" means that weather conditions exist that could produce a tornado. A "tornado warning" means that a tornado has been reported and people in the area should immediately seek shelter.

Accuweather reported that all or part of the following areas were under a flood watch from 11 a.m. through Friday evening:

Washington, D.C.

Maryland: Frederick and Baltimore; Anne Arundel, Carroll, Cecil, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's and Harford counties

Virginia: Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria, Manassas, and Manassas Park; Loudoun, Fairfax, Fauquier, Prince William counties.

West Virginia: Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties.

Memorial Day Weekend Forecast

A chance of showers is expected in the Washington, D.C. metro region on Friday morning, possibly switching over to thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Some weather could be severe, possibly bringing damaging winds and heavy rain, according to NWS. Wind gusts could be as high as 22 mph.

Showers and thunderstorms will continue mainly until 11 p.m. on Friday, according to NWS. New rainfall may drop between one-half and three-quarters an inch of rain on the region.

There will be a slight chance of a thunderstorm forming after 2 p.m., on Saturday. Otherwise, the day will be mostly sunny, with a high near 80 degrees and a 20 percent chance of precipitation.

Overnight on Saturday, the skies will be mostly clear, with temperatures around 61 degrees. Calm weather will follow after midnight and continue into Sunday, with a high near 84, according to NWS.

Memorial Day will be sunny, with a high near 84 during the day and a low around 65 in the evening, NWS says.

Accuweather predicts that the holiday weekend in the Northeast will start off wet and then dry out as the weekend progresses. Rainstorms will continue through Saturday but the sun will begin to peek through on Sunday.

"Even though it is unlikely to rain the entire time anywhere in the region from Friday evening through Saturday, embedded within the showers will be localized torrential downpours and pockets of robust thunderstorms," according to Accuweather's forecast. "A few areas could be saddled with brief flooding issues and/or damaging wind gusts and frequent lightning strikes."

Expect Monday to be sunny and dry, with temperatures in the mid-80s, according to Accuweather's forecast.

Here is the National Weather Service's forecast for Memorial Day weekend in the Washington, D.C. metro region:

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Some storms could be severe, with damaging winds and heavy rain. High near 79. South wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11pm. Low around 63. South wind 5 to 9 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. West wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65.

Memorial Day: Sunny, with a high near 91.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 71.