Flood Watch In Effect For DC, NoVA: Heavy Rains, Isolated Tornadoes Possible

VIRGINIA/DC — The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia, starting Friday afternoon and lasting late into the night.

Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations in the region, according to the NWS. Rainfall is expected to total between 1 and 3 inches, causing localized instances of flooding.

While the rain may taper off for a time Friday afternoon, heavy downpours and thunderstorms are expected in the evening and overnight hours.

NBC4 meteorologist Chuck Bell said the region should expect 2 to 3 inches of rainfall, with locally higher amounts. The flood watch that is currently in place will likely switch to a flood warning later Friday night, he said.

The NWS also said there's a chance that thunderstorms late Friday could be severe, with damaging wind gusts. These storms, which could include tornadoes, are more likely in the Fredericksburg area and other parts of central and southern Virginia, according to the NWS.

Storms will intensify and increase in coverage through the day in the Southeast and southern mid-Atlantic, the Weather Channel said.

"The responsible storm system is the same one that spawned tornadoes in Texas and Oklahoma on Wednesday, along with flooding from eastern Oklahoma into the Ozarks," the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang said Friday.

Dominion Energy suggested that its customer download its app to report power outages caused by the storm. Customers can also call 866-366-4357 to report an outage or downed power line.

Residents should expect the rain to continue until Sunday morning. On Saturday, the NWS is calling for a chance of more thunderstorms and up to an inch of more rain, with rainfall higher in some areas. The rain is likely to end in the region around 8 a.m. on Sunday, followed by gusty winds.

Here's the NWS forecast for the close-in suburbs of D.C. for the next few days:

Friday: Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2 p.m. High near 65. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday night:Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 2 a.m., then rain and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 a.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Patchy fog before 2 a.m., then patchy fog after 5a.m. Low around 54. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Saturday: Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 2 p.m., then rain between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., then rain and possibly a thunderstorm after 5 p.m. Patchy fog between 11 a.m. and 2pm. High near 57. Northeast wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday night: Rain and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 45. Northeast wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday: Rain likely, mainly before 8 a.m. Cloudy, with a high near 53. North wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

Sunday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.