Rainfall Of 2 Inches Per Hour In NoVA Forecast, Flood Watch Issued

With heavy rain and storms brewing that could dump 2 inches of rain per hour in parts of already soggy Northern Virginia, a flood watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for Monday evening in portions of the greater Washington, D.C., region.

"Showers and thunderstorms are likely both this afternoon and Tuesday afternoon. Quieter conditions are expected behind a cold front mid-week through early next weekend," the agency said.

The flood watch will be in effect from 5 to 11 p.m. Monday for areas that received rain over the weekend.

The watch includes Fairfax, Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria and Loudoun counties.

"Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations," the National Weather Service said. "Thunderstorms are expected to develop in the next couple of hours across parts of the Baltimore and Washington metro areas. Storms are expected to be slow movers and be capable of producing intense rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour, which may result in flash flooding of small streams, creeks, urban and poor drainage areas."

With high temperatures around 90 degrees for much of the DC region, the humidity makes it feel like 100 to 105 outside.

"Following an extended drought, the past two months have been unusually wet in much of the region, leaving soils saturated. Rainfall totals around 10 to 15 inches have been common, which is about 125 to as much as 200 percent normal," The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang said.

Here is the National Weather Service forecast for Northern Virginia:

Monday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. South wind around 7 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 3pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 3pm and 5pm, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 5pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 90. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, then a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Wednesday: A slight chance of showers before 8am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Northwest wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 89.

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

Independence Day: Sunny, with a high near 88.

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

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.

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