Strong Winds Forecast; Tornado Watch For Northern Virginia, DC

WASHINGTON, DC — After rain soaked the DC region early Monday, another round of storms could be headed our way with strong winds and power outages, according to the National Weather Service. A tornado watch was issued for the region through 6 p.m.

A tornado watch means conditions favor storms that could produce tornadoes. It is different from a tornado warning, which indicates a tornado sighting. Residents should monitor the forecast and be prepared should a warning be issued. The tornado watch covers the District of Columbia; the Virginia counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, King George, Loudoun, Orange, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford and Warren; and the Virginia cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, Manassas Park and Winchester.

Parts of the region are under a hazardous weather outlook from the NWS as severe thunderstorms are possible. This could bring damaging winds, large hail and an increased threat for tornados, particularly through mid-afternoon. Local flooding is also possible.

The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang expects storms to be scattered around the middle of the day and afternoon. "The coverage and intensity of these storms is somewhat dependent on whether skies clear out some during the break in the rain," the Capital Weather Gang forecasters state.

The areas under the hazardous weather outlook are the District of Columbia; Virginia counties of Prince William, Fairfax, Arlington, Stafford, Spotsylvania and King George and cities of Manassas, Manassas Park, Falls Church and Alexandria; and Maryland's southern Baltimore, Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, Charles County, St. Mary's County, Calvert County and southeast Harford County.

A wind advisory is in effect for the region until 6 p.m. Monday. The National Weather Service says gusty winds can cause trees to fall, as the ground is saturated from rain. Forecasters expect 20 to 30 mph winds with gusts around 50 to 55 mph.

The advisory applies to the District of Columbia, as well as the Virginia counties of Prince William, Fairfax, Arlington, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Fauquier, Loudoun, Shenandoah, Frederick, Page, Warren, Clarke, Nelson, Albemarle, Greene, Madison, Rappahannock, Orange and Culpeper. In Maryland, the advisory covers Frederick, Carroll, Baltimore, northwest, central and southeast Montgomery, northwest, central and southeast Howard and northwest and southeast Harford.

Some areas experienced outages overnight as a result of storms, and winds could lead to more outages. According to Dominion Energy, high winds and rain can result in downed trees and power lines. Residents should avoid downed wires and call 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) regarding outages or downed wires. NOVEC customers can report outages to 703-335-0500 or 1-888-335-0500.

The National Weather Service's Baltimore-Washington office provides the latest advisories, watches and warnings at www.weather.gov/lwx.