Flood Concerns Remain After Severe Storms

The most powerful of Tuesday's severe thunderstorms passed through the D.C. area  before 4 p.m., but rain continued and flooding remained a concern.

A tornado warning issued for D.C., southeastern Montgomery County and northern Prince George's County was canceled before 3:35 p.m. At 3:16 p.m., a thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado near Takoma Park and Fort Totten and moving northeast at 45 mph. The peak wind gust reported at Reagan National Airport during this storm was 61 mph. A tornado watch for much of the area has been canceled as well but remains in effect in southern Maryland, however Storm4 Chief Meteorologist Doug Kammerer expects that to be canceled, too.

Before 1:30 p.m., Montgomery County Fire and Rescue received a report of a large tree and wires down in the 6300 block of Crathie Lane in Bethesda.

In Cheverly, Md., a tree collapsed on a house. The homeowner who was inside the house said it was a 100-year-old tree. She felt lucky to escape uninjured, News4's Darcy Spencer reported.

Downed trees and fallen limbs also were reported in Loudoun and Prince William counties.

As of 5 p.m., Pepco was reporting 13,947 power outages, BGE was reporting 1,351 (most in Anne Arundel County) and Dominion was reporting 4,825, down from 7,349 at about 4 p.m. Pepco recommends that its customers call 1-877-737-2662 or visit Pepco.com to report any outages.

At Reagan National and BWI airports, planes were grounded for a time late Tuesday afternoon. At Nationals Park, so were the Nats and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tuesday night's game was postponed.

At the Bay Bridge, wind warnings were in effect at rush hour and drivers were urged to use caution. Two-way operations, in which an eastbound lane is directed to the westbound span, were not in effect.

Doppler radar also indicated Tuesday afternoon that a storm moving through Montgomery County was capable of producing an inch of rain in just 15 minutes.In Baltimore County, officials said there were about 6 inches of water on some roads on Millers Island, affecting access to about a dozen homes, the Associated Press reported.

The rain caused the lake and creek that flow through Frederick's Baker Park to flood. By Tuesday evening 3.09 inches of rain had been recorded in Frederick and 4.38 inches in Thurmont.

With tides expected to be 2 feet above normal, a coastal flood warning was issued for D.C., Alexandria and Falls Church. High tides are at 10:23 p.m. in Washington Harbor and 10:41 p.m. in Alexandria.

There is a flood warning for small streams in Winchester and Clarke, Frederick (Va.), Shenandoah and Warren counties.

All severe thunderstorm warnings have expired, but showers could continue until midnight.

Police in Washington County reported several traffic accidents on roads slick from the rain Tuesday morning, the AP reported.

The severe weather will lead into cooler days with low humidity through the end of the week. The clouds should clear by 6 a.m. Wednesday, which will be breezy early. Expect highs in the mid-70s Wednesday and Thursday.

As of Tuesday morning, D.C. was 7.13 inches of rain below average for this time in the year.


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