Rainfall totals that created Thursday's flash flooding in D.C. and some of its suburbs

Areas of Severe Thunderstorms, Excessive Rainfall, and Extreme Heat Saturday

Severe thunderstorms capable of damaging winds will be possible from the Ozark Plateau east into the Tennessee Valley Saturday. Rounds of heavy thunderstorms ahead of a slow moving front will continue locally heavy rainfall and scattered flash flooding potential from the Ozarks to the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys Saturday. Extreme heat will continue for the Intermountain West and Plains. Read More >

Thursday afternoon September 10th 2020

Early on Thursday afternoon, showers and thunderstorms arose along a weak atmospheric boundary oriented north to south across the Washington area. The storms that formed were fed by tropical moisture to our southeast which allowed for heavy rainfall rates. In addition, weak winds in the atmosphere kept the storms moving slowly. That combination of heavy rain and slow movement allowed for 2-5" of rain to fall in a relatively narrow corridor across parts of the Washington metro area. Most of that rain fell within 2 hours.

The heavy rains produced flash flooding of numerous roads and streams and first responders conducted several water rescues. The hardest hit areas were: the District of Columbia, Arlington and Alexandria Virginia, and the Maryland suburbs in Prince Georges and Montgomery Counties.