July opens with round of severe thunderstorms, flood risk in DC region

On the first day of July a hot muggy morning gave way to severe weather Tuesday afternoon and thunderstorms likely extending into the evening hours A large system of severe thunderstorms slammed into the heart of the D C region just before p m triggering a severe thunderstorm watch until p m for the region A flood watch continues for the region until p m Ongoing weather warnings Severe thunderstorm watch until p m for Maryland and Virginia Maryland Anne Arundel Prince George s Calvert Charles and St Mary s counties Virginia Stafford Stafford and Spotsylvania counties Severe thunderstorm warning until p m for Maryland Northwestern St Mary s County and central Charles counties in Maryland Ground stops have also been issued for Reagan National until p m Dulles International until p m and BWI Marshall Airport through p m due to the storms according to the Federal Aviation Administration s National Airspace System WTOP Meteorologist Mike Stinneford shared that wind gusts at the Bay Bridge had been clocked at p m at a speed of mph Heavy thunderstorms for the next several hours damaging winds heavy rainfall the main threat Stinneford commented A severe thunderstorm watch remains ongoing for much of the D C region on July WTOP Mike Stinneford Several reports of damage began coming into the weather institution around p m including reports of large tree limbs down across southern Arlington and a tree that fell onto a car on Old Frederick Road in Sykesville News First Alert Meteorologist Eileen Whelan previously noted that storms could contain damaging wind gusts and hail Pockets of heavy rain are leading to standing water so use caution on area roadways Tuesday afternoon and evening she revealed Temperatures hit near with heat index values making it feel like The storms are being whipped up by a strong cold front which will eventually bring a drop in humidity Until then the cold front means rain chances will continue Tuesday night into Wednesday morning But fear not Fourth of July weather looks great Whelan commented Expect low humidity with temperatures around Then look for dry weather the rest of the holiday weekend Listen to WTOP online and on the radio at FM or FM Current traffic conditions Weather forecast Closings and Delays Sign up for WTOP email alerts Get custom alerts with the WTOP app for Apple and Android phones Forecast LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SEVERE ALERT Strong to Severe PM Storms Temperatures s to s Winds Southwest - mph A strong cold front will continue to move across the DMV this afternoon and into the evening bringing gusty winds and pockets of moderate to heavy rain A severe thunderstorm watch has been posted until p m Plan for elevated warnings as the system works its way across the Mid-Atlantic A flood watch has been posted until p m FIRST ALERT WEATHER remains on severe and flood alert through the evening TUESDAY NIGHT Scattered Showers Storms End Lows - Winds Southwest mph Wet weather chances continue overnight with mild and muggy conditions Pockets of heavy rain could lead to standing water so use caution on area roadways WEDNESDAY Morning showers Afternoon clearing Highs - Winds North - mph Scattered showers will linger during the morning hours with humidity levels remaining high The actual cold front will push through midday shifting our wind direction out of the northwest ushering in a drier airmass Skies will brighten during the afternoon with highs in the s THURSDAY Mostly sunny Highs near Winds Northwest - mph Cooler weather will be nice to kick-start the day with wake-up temperatures in the s in the suburbs Plan for abundant sunshine and highs in the middle s to around degrees with lower humidity FRIDAY INDEPENDENCE DAY Mostly Sunny Highs - Winds Northwest - mph Fantastic weather is expected for the th of July with sunshine calm high temperatures in the mid s and low humidity for early July CURRENT CONDITIONS Source