Tuesday evening, the D.C. area is likely to see scattered showers and thunderstorms that will intensify as they move south of the region. On what meteorologists predicted would be the warmest day of the week, isolated strong thunderstorms started shifting into the region. Any storms that pop up are expected to have some gusty winds and only to intensify throughout the night. Overnight, meteorologists expect humidity to fall and the rest of the week to be sunny, dry and comfortable. No warnings have been issued for the D.C. region at this time.
Thunder before the storm
A loud boom west of D.C. on Tuesday served as a precursor to expected severe weather this evening. Around 11 a.m., a boom that was felt inside D.C. shook several residents in Virginia.
Just for the record, from inside my Alexandria home, I heard the mysterious boom & felt the percussion that so many are tweeting about. What the heck was it that alarmed folks from Reston to ALX? It did not seem at all like thunder. @nbcwashington
— Julie Carey (@JulieCareyNBC) Sep. 28, 2021
While officials in Fairfax County weren’t able to confirm the correlation, a building on Woodland Park Road was struck by lightning just before 11 a.m. They said that the lightning protection system did work and the building sustained no damage. However, there were two minor injuries.
Heard the loud boom? Can’t totally confirm this is related but-at approximately 10:59 a.m., units were dispatched to building struck by lightning in 13000 block of Woodland Park Road. Lightning protection system did its job — no damage to building! Two minor injuries. #FCFRD #weather pic.twitter.com/K0ZFmFvdxK
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) Sep. 28, 2021
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The storms are expected to have enough power to remain strong until Tuesday evening. Potential storms are forecast to be strong enough to produce severe weather, including hail. No current watches or warnings have been implemented inside of the District or surrounding counties. Culpeper and Harrisonburg, Virginia, have already seen some hail warnings associated with this storm system. Radar indicated hail of two inches or less in those areas.
Forecast:
Tuesday evening: Mostly cloudy, warm and humid. A few widely scattered thunderstorms, some with gusty winds. Temperatures falling through the 70s. Tuesday night: Showers and thunderstorms ending before midnight. Clearing and turning less muggy overnight. Lows: upper 40s to mid-50s. Wednesday: Mostly sunny, cooler and less humid. Highs: upper 60s to lower 70s. Thursday: Sunny and pleasant with low humidity. Highs: low to mid-70s. Friday: Remaining sunny and pleasant. Highs: low to mid-70s.