Heavy Rain Will Pound NoVa Friday, Flood Watch Into Saturday

Heavy rain will continue to fall on Friday and flooding remains a huge threat for the Northern Virginia area through the weekend. The National Weather Service predicts that between 2-3 inches of rain will fall on D.C. and south and east of the District over the next 24 hours, while areas west of D.C. should get 1.5-2 inches.

"In combination with the plethora of rainfall we have seen the past several days, Flood Watches and Warnings are issued across the area," NWS tweeted.

The District of Columbia, along with Prince William, Manassas, ManassasPark, Fairfax, Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Fauquier, Loudoun and other counties are under a flood watch until 8 a.m. Saturday. The watch area includes the cities of Staunton, Charlottesville, Dale City, Manassas, Woodbridge, Lake Ridge, Montclair, Reston, Herndon, Annandale, Centreville, Chantilly, McLean, Franconia, Arlington, Alexandria, Fredericksburg, Warrenton, Purcellville, Leesburg, Ashburn, and Sterling.

Here's a look at the expected rainfall totals over the next 24 hours. In combination with the plethora of rainfall we have seen the past several days, Flood Watches and Warnings are issued across the area. https://t.co/5RyZgpeTAT #DCwx #MDwx #VAwx #WVwx pic.twitter.com/n0YEgz1wOF
— NWS DC/Baltimore (@NWS_BaltWash) May 18, 2018

Meanwhile, the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang confirmed that more rain Friday would lead to an increased flooding risk for the D.C. and Northern Virginia region.

The heaviest rain will be focused on areas south and east of the District, unless weather models shift. A flood watch will remain in effect for the entire region until Saturday morning.

"Assume any break you may experience in the fairly constant drizzle, rain and showers is a lucky one," CWG writes.

Things don't improve much on Saturday, with more showers and even some thunderstorms possible for most of the day. However, the weather may dry out a little toward sunset, albeit not a whole lot. It won't be until Sunday when we finally get a break in the showers and get some sunny skies.

But the showers will return on Monday and Tuesday, at least sporadically.

Days of heavy rain have caused problems with downed trees and standing water, which makes driving conditions dangerous. For example, part of Southern Avenue in Southeast D.C. has been closed by a downed tree, as has part of Chesterfield Place in Northwest. D.C. police also reported standing water in places, including the right lane of northbound I-295 near Malcolm X Avenue. And downed trees have been reported in several parts of Northern Virginia on Friday morning.

7:53 am: We will continue to see rain across the area this morning and today. Some of the latest models keep the heaviest stuff south and east of the city. Will see how it plays out next few hours! pic.twitter.com/nWXJcBj41Q
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) May 18, 2018

Image: Patch staff