News4’s Julie Carey reports on the beginnings of severe weather in Haymarket, Virginia.
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Heavy rain, powerful wind and lightning swept through the D.C. area Monday evening, leaving damage and power outages in their wake. Fallen trees blocked roads, and golf ball-sized hail clattered to the ground in both Maryland and Virginia.
"It's like the Fourth of July with lightning strikes popping off in every direction," NBC4 photographer Nick Leimbach said near Leesburg about 5:30 p.m.
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Dominion Virginia reported more than 50,000 customers without power at one point Monday evening, although the number has been dropping since then.
Workers rushed home early Monday afternoon after a tornado watch was issued for the District and parts of Maryland and Virginia, as skies began to darken and winds picked up. The tornado watch ended at 9 p.m., and tornado warnings for several counties, including Fauquier, Loudoun and Spotsylvania, also have expired.
Several severe thunderstorm warnings also were issued for spots around the region. See all severe weather alerts here.
The flags, the trees — they are whipping. Just an absolute deluge here. We've seen a very dark front line come through. It's almost like night before the sky opened up and it started to fall, pour.
Northern Virginia Bureau Chief Julie Carey in Haymarket, Virginia
The storms were fast-moving, Storm Team4 Meteorologist Amelia Draper said. Although the rain was heavy, it moved through so quickly that flooding was not a huge concern, she said.
News4's Darcy Spencer reported some standing water on some roads in Prince George's County but said she hadn't encountered any major flooding.
However, multiple trees and power lines came down around the region.
Multiple roads were closed in Brandywine, Maryland, due to fallen trees. One tree fell at the intersection of Forum Drive and Government Center Parkway in Fairfax County, and another was down in the street in the 24000 block of River Road in Montgomery County.
'An Absolute Deluge Here'
At Interstate 66 and Route 15 in Haymarket, Northern Virginia Bureau Chief Julie Carey saw an intense downpour with thunder, lightning and high winds. She was set up at a Sheetz gas station full of people taking cover.
"The flags, the trees — they are whipping," Carey said. "Just an absolute deluge here. We've seen a very dark front line come through. It's almost like night before the sky opened up and it started to fall, pour."
"It's a little striking how many people are out in this," Carey said about 5:30 p.m. "Unfortunately, a lot of people still on the road."
The National Weather Service issued tornado watches up and down the East Coast, from Alabama to New York, officials said Monday afternoon.
Flights were routed around the storms as much as possible, the FAA said.
Federal Offices Closed Early; Concert at Nats Park Delayed for Hours
Ahead of the storms, forecasters had warned of a higher Severe Weather Outlook than we'd had in 10 years.
“You want to prepare for derecho-like damage,” Draper said, referring to the 2012 storm that brought 70 to 90 mph winds, ripped off roofs, destroyed cars, knocked out power, tore down thousands of trees and sent temperatures soaring to 100 degrees.
Government offices, as well as some colleges and schools, closed early as a precaution:
- The federal government closed all its offices in the D.C. area, including the Pentagon, telling employees to leave by 3 p.m.
- Loudoun County Public Schools closed all schools and facilities at 3:30 p.m. and canceled after-school activities.
- The University of Maryland College Park campus and George Mason University in Fairfax also closed early.
- So did all D.C. Public Library branches.
Virginia’s transportation department warned drivers to be especially careful on roads, including by obeying road closure signs, avoiding debris and never driving into high water.
At Nationals Park, gates opened at 4:30 p.m. for Monday night's Pink concert, but guests were told to stay in the concourse until the storms passed. Photos showed scores of fans crowded together under cover and a sea of empty seats in the ballpark.
Concert goers waited more than three hours before skies cleared enough for them to be safely seated.
It’s been a little more than a week since punishing storms on July 29 knocked out power for many residents and ripped huge trees from the ground.
