Severe thunderstorms along the Interstate 66, Route 50 and Route 7 corridors pelted the area as D.C.-area drivers muddled through a slick afternoon commute. Here’s what you need to know.
A band of storms brought blinding rainfall stretching in the Plains area northward around Brambleton, Ashburn and up to the Leesburg area, Â鶹¹ÙÍø meteorologist Mike Stinneford said.
Meanwhile, not severe but heavy rain from Rockville to Germantown along Interstate 270 and Interstate 70 made for a commute that was “very difficult to drive,” Stinneford said.
And it’s not over yet, as more storms come in from the west in the next hours, with a severe thunderstorm watch in effect until 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Earlier saw a sizzling temperature of 95 degrees at Reagan National Airport, but a cooler night is on the way, still with continuing showers, however.
Storms far west of D.C. led to a few severe thunderstorm warnings Wednesday afternoon. The National Â鶹¹ÙÍø Service advised people in areas with active warnings to move indoors.
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia until 8 PM EDT
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash)
The chance for severe storms comes as the region is experiencing an early-season heat wave, with highs in the 90s.
The heat saw records broken Wednesday. Dulles International Airport set a new record high of 95, beating the previous record of 93 set in 1996. BWI Marshall tied its record of 95, set in 1962, Stinneford said.
But temperatures are expected to fall overnight.
Temperatures will plummet into the 50s and 60s Wednesday night. After three consecutive days of heat, Thursday and Friday will see cool, damp conditions, with temperatures tumbling by more than 25 degrees.
The Memorial Day weekend appears to be a wet one, starting with clouds, occasional showers and areas of drizzle Saturday. Sunday will not be a complete washout, but the region could see plenty of clouds with lingering showers.
Memorial Day will see more of the same trend of cool and damp weather to start and a few breaks of sun by the afternoon. Temperatures recover into the low to mid-70s with light winds.
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Full forecast
OVERNIGHT WEDNESDAY: Lingering showers
Lows: 60s
Winds: North 5-10 mph
THURSDAY: Cloudy with scattered showers
Highs: 62-68
Winds: Northeast 5-10 mph
FRIDAY: Scattered showers
Highs: near 60
Winds: Northeast 5-10 mph
SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy with showers
Highs: 60s
Winds: East 5-10 mph
SUNDAY: Scattered showers
Highs: 68-75
Winds: East 3-8 mph
MEMORIAL DAY: Mostly cloudy with stray showers
Highs: 70-75
Winds: Southeast 5-10 mph
CURRENT CONDITIONS
Â鶹¹ÙÍø’s Jessica Kronzer and Abigail Constantino contributed to this report.
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