Another Soaking for Soggy Region

Some areas in the D.C. region are bracing for another round of potentially heavy downpours Tuesday night, and Wednesday could be worse.

Showers and storms are expected through the night. Some could be heavy, but they will not be everywhere.

At 11 p.m. a line of storms moving in from the north and another to the south both were producing very heavy rain.

Storms moving through Martinsburg and Winchester produced a lot of lightning and gusts up to 40 mph.

Around Orange County, just south of Culpeper, another line of storms also was producing heavy rain and lightning, and with more than an inch of rain having fallen there, a flash flood warning is possible.

A flash flood watch for parts of northern Virginia and the extreme eastern panhandle of West Virginia including Clarke, Loudoun, northern and southern Fauquier, and Prince William counties, as well as Manassas and Manassas Park, expires at 6 a.m.

The rain will take a break Wednesday morning, but expect fog and beware of wet roadways. Then Wednesday afternoon’s system will be stagnant and more widespread than Tuesday's rain, potentially dumping 3 inches of rain in parts of the area with the possibility of very heavy downpours. That potential could continue into Thursday but likely won't be as widespread, as the front slowly moves east of the area. There's a chance of showers and maybe a storm on Friday, but most of the region will be dry.

The region could use the rain, though, as it is almost 5 inches below the average rainfall for the year.

Manassas, Manassas Park and Prince William County in Virginia were under a flood warning until 5:15 p.m. Tuesday due to flooding from 3-5 inches of rain that fell in about six hours overnight, especially along Kettle Run Creek, Bull Run and Cedar Run.

The water level at Lake Jackson Dam has risen above normal, prompting the evacuation of two nearby residences. The water level was receding Tuesday afternoon, but the situation at the dam is under constant monitoring as more rain is expected.

In Bristow, some roads looked more like lakes Tuesday morning. Low-lying areas flooded, with Piper Lane under about two feet of water.

News4 captured footage of a pickup truck moving through flooding, with the water nearly up to the doors. That driver had to be rescued.

Authorities recommend not driving through standing water, as flood waters are usually deeper than they appear and most flood deaths occur in vehicles. One foot of flowing water can sweep cars off the road.

Less than an inch of rain in an hour could cause areas that flooded last night to flood again.

As for Memorial Day weekend, it's looking hot and dry.