There were no injuries after lightning struck the roof of an Alexandria home on Wednesday night (July 9).
The Alexandria Fire Department was notified at around 6:40 p.m. by the homeowner that the roof of their two-level townhouse was smoking, according to dispatches. Inside, firefighters found and extinguished smoke and fire in the attic.
The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Alexandria and the surrounding area.
The watch is in effect from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., as a large storm with 60-mile-per-hour wind gusts has been reported in Centreville and is moving northeast.
With rain expected this week in Alexandria, it might be worth a look back at how Alexandria’s battles with flooding have progressed over the years and what’s ahead.
The region was hit with intense flooding in 2019, which thrust Alexandria’s stormwater infrastructure into the limelight. Since then, the city has invested considerable time and money into upgrading that infrastructure, though there have been some frustrations at slow progress.
Alexandria is currently under an Areal Flood Watch and a Severe Thunderstorm Watch.
The Areal Flood Watch is in effect until midnight tonight and warns of possible flash flooding in areas near rivers or other low-lying locations.
Yesterday’s rain was relatively mild, but the National Weather Service (NWS) warns the worst of Tropical Storm Debby’s impact is still ahead.
The region is under a Hazardous Weather Outlook for today and tonight, with scattered instances of flooding possible. The NWS forecast calls for a 70% chance of precipitation tonight, with rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, though it could be worse in some places.
While today and possibly tomorrow are likely to be mostly sunny, the National Weather Service warned that starting Tuesday afternoon, Alexandrians can expect rain every day through Saturday.
The rain prediction comes as tropical storm Debby makes landfall in Florida.
As of 3:45 p.m., the skies above Alexandria are cloudy but not too ominous. The National Weather Service, however, warned that could change this afternoon.
Alexandria and many of the neighboring localities are under a severe thunderstorm watch until 10 p.m. tonight (Tuesday). The chance of precipitation is only 40% tonight, but goes up to 80% tomorrow with isolated showers and thunderstorms likely between noon and 2 p.m. tomorrow.
It’s been a week for weather alerts.
Alexandria and neighboring communities are under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 10 p.m. Alexandria is also under an Excessive Heat Warning for the second day in a row.
Alexandrians considering outdoor activities this 4th of July (Thursday) may want to plan a backup or bring a sturdy umbrella.
The National Weather Service is forecasting “a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m.” on Thursday, though it said the chance of precipitation is 50%.
Alexandria is under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued by the National Weather Service today until 9 p.m. tonight.
While skies are mostly clear as of 2:30 p.m., the forecast calls for a thunderstorm sometime before 5 p.m. and a chance of showers and thunderstorms continuing afterwards.
This afternoon could see several rounds of rain showers and thunderstorms — enough that the National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for Alexandria and neighboring localities.
Alexandria, along with Fairfax, Arlington and other part of the region, are under a Flood Watch scheduled to start at noon today and continue through this evening.
