Prince George's County Schools Makes Weather Decision for Wednesday, March 1

UPPER MARLBORO, MD — The possibility of strong storms on Wednesday afternoon has prompted Prince George's County Public Schools to cancel all afternoon and evening activities. PGCPS Before and After School child care programs will operate on their regular schedules, officials said.

Forecasters are predicting a series of thunderstorms to blow through the D.C. area Wednesday. The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of the county until 2:30 p.m., and the region is under a severe thunderstorm watch until 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Weather.com forecasts that Prince George's County will see isolated thunderstorms in the morning giving way to a windy afternoon and then more widespread storms, with some being severe. Highs will be around 76 degrees Fahrenheit, with winds blowing southwest at 15 to 25 miles per hour. The chance of rain is 60 percent.

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has placed the D.C. area under an "enhanced risk" of severe thunderstorms during the afternoon hours, with a line of storms making their way through the area between 1 and 4 p.m.

"Storm-scale guidance moves a squall line into the I-95 corridor during the early afternoon (roughly 18-21z) coincident with appreciable diurnal destabilization and steepening of low-level lapse rates and becoming more favorable for momentum transfer," the NWS statement reads. "In addition to the risk for widespread damaging winds, the stronger/longer-lived mesovortices embedded within the line may yield a weak tornado risk."

»Image via Shutterstock