The area has dodged a very large bullet, in the form of high winds and a catastrophic deluge. That could change when the storm steers northeast over the weekend.
WASHINGTON — Hurricane Florence’s arrival on the mid-Atlantic coast was somewhat evident around D. C. on Friday and Saturday.
Fortunately, that evidence has been subtle.
“When you go outside today and look up, those clouds are a direct result of the hurricane,” said Storm Team4 Meteorologist Chuck Bell.
“We’re on the far northern extent of the cloud shield right now. And underneath there, we are getting periods of mist and drizzle and a pocket of light rain every here and there.”
The D. C. area has dodged a very large bullet, in the form of high winds and a catastrophic deluge. The Carolinas, obviously, have not been so lucky, and the Category 1 storm will roar through in painfully slow fashion this weekend as it weakens. (Early Friday afternoon, Florence was moving at 3 mph.)
But this region — and especially Virginia — are not out of the woods yet. Sunday morning, the storm is expected to begin steering northeast, and the weakened storm will still have a lot of rain to drop.
Some forecast models see Florence passing west of the Appalachians, consistent with earlier forecasts that it would dump heavy rain on southwestern Virginia. Other models see it passing farther to the west in the Ohio River Valley.
“We know it’s going to go to the north, we’re just not sure where it’s going to go at this point in time,” said Storm Team4 Meteorologist Lauryn Ricketts.
If it impacts southwestern Virginia as feared, it could mean around 6 inches of rainfall, raising fears of both flooding and flash flooding.
And around D. C., that path would mean 1–2 inches of rain on Monday and Tuesday. For an already-water-logged region, that could mean more flooding and downed trees.
In the meantime, expect temperatures to stay in the 70s and low 80s, with some occasional rain.
A coastal flood advisory is in effect through 6 a.m. Sunday around the Chesapeake Bay side of the Virginian eastern shore. In Maryland, a coastal flood advisory is in effect until 11 p.m. Saturday along the Anne Arundel County shoreline, and until 3 a.m. along the shorelines of Charles County and King George County.
Around D. C., Florence’s presence has been felt in another unlikely way: Fearing widespread severe weather, several cancellations were made for such events as the H Street Festival and DC VegFest. See a full list of cancellations here.
The good news: Ricketts said the weather will be fine when the Redskins host the Indianapolis Colts Sunday afternoon.
Saturday night: Overcast with mist, fog and a shower or two; highs in the upper 70s.
Sunday: Breezy and a few showers; highs in lower 80s
Monday: Breezy; remnants of Florence may bring heavy rain late in the day; highs around 80
Tuesday: Rain in the morning, tapering off through the day. Highs in the low to mid 80s.
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