Record-setting rain pulling away, wind warning discontinued

July 15, 2024

* Flood warning until 11:30 p.m. | Coastal flood warning until 10 a.m. *

9:23 p.m. — High wind warning discontinued while rain pulls away to the east of Washington

The rain has exited the Beltway region faster than expected and the worst of the winds — which were lighter than forecast — have passed. In short, the worst of this storm is over.

The rain was impressive. to be sure. Here are some of the totals through 9 p.m.:

Reagan National: 2.22 inches (record for the date)
Dulles: 1.75 inches (record)
BWI Marshall: 2.5 inches (record)

Even while the rain has ended in many locations (except near the Bay), please use caution if driving as there may be lingering areas of high water near streams and poor drainage areas.

This will be our last update for tonight.

7:30 p.m. — Heaviest rain and strongest winds to come through next few hours; some reports of downed trees, outages

It’s pouring out there and we still have several more hours before the heavy rain exits to the northeast. Winds have also been quite gusty, but perhaps not as bad as feared, with peak gusts mostly between 30 and 40 mph, with some 45+ mph readings near the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.

The combination of gusty winds and saturated soils has resulted in scattered downed trees around the region and also some spotty power outages. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge has been closed because of the high winds with big traffic backups in both directions leading up to it.

Heavy rain and gusty winds — similar to what we’re experiencing now — should continue until about 10 or 11 p.m. when the worst of it pulls away.

Rainfall totals around the region continue to climb — and are generally between 1.5 and 2 inches. Reagan National Airport has receive 1.98 inches, a calendar day record. We could add another 0.5 to 1.0 inches before the rain tapers off. If you have to drive in this, remember that if you encounter high water, turn around, don’t drown. Water levels are almost impossible to judge, especially at night.

There have been multiple reports of streams overflowing their banks in the area. High water closed Beach Drive between the D.C. line and East West Highway in Maryland and Rock Creek reached minor flood stage in the District.

Original article from 5 p.m.

The massive storm sweeping the eastern United States is making its mark on the Washington metro region. Heavy rain has already drenched the area, and there’s more to come. On top of that, hazardous wind gusts, perhaps topping 50 mph, could topple trees and trigger power cuts this evening.

Through late afternoon, 1 to 1.5 inches of rain has already fallen, and we’ve still got 1 to 2 inches to go. Most of the region is under flood warnings until late tonight. Avoid driving routes near streams that tend to overflow, and if you encounter high water, turn around, don’t down.

Tomorrow will be blustery but dry.

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Through Tonight: Moderate to heavy rain continues this evening and into the early overnight. There could be some thunder and a burst of particularly strong winds. Rain is mainly done by midnight, but some showers are possible into the pre-dawn.

With the possibility of high winds and power outages, keep your phones charged and minimize proximity to trees where possible. Lows range from near 40 to the mid-40s.

View the current weather at The Washington Post.

Tomorrow (Wednesday): We should see a good deal of sun, although momentary cloudiness is possible as well. Not as mild as today but still around 50 in most spots, which is a bit above average. Winds pick up again, mainly from the west, sustained at around 15 to 20 mph, gusting near 35 mph.

See Matt Rogers’s forecast through the weekend. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on X and Instagram. For related traffic news, check out The Post’s transportation coverage.

Rain, rain … go away: With about 8.5 inches of rain since Dec. 1, the start of meteorological winter, D.C. is now well past the winter of 1901-1902’s record total of 7.56 inches through this date. There have been five days in the stretch with an inch or more of rain, the most on record for the period by two days. We’ll also be above average for the entire winter season once this storm is done. And there are two more storms on the horizon (Friday-Saturday and early next week).

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