I'm in Bethesda at the moment, and about 10 minutes ago the sky quickly darkened. Now it is raining heavily.

The Flood Warning has been expanded now to cover much of Northern VA.

Per NWS:

* FLOOD WARNING FOR SMALL STREAMS IN... ARLINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA CITY OF ALEXANDRIA IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA CITY OF FAIRFAX IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA CITY OF FALLS CHURCH IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA FAIRFAX COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 830 PM EDT

* AT 240 PM EDT...RADAR INDICATED BETWEEN 1.5 AND 2.5 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN SO FAR TODAY. ANOTHER INCH OF RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. THIS WILL CAUSE CREEKS AND SMALL STREAMS IN THE WARNED AREA TO RISE OUT OF THEIR BANKS.

I'm curious to see how Cameron Run (Alexandria) handles this rain.

This is the most potent system that I've seen in a while. At this point, though, we could use all the rain we could get.

Shame about the Earth day celebrations at the National Mall. It's not a safe environment for the attendees, considering the metal scaffolding and stages they have set up.

Other than a fairly heavy shower this morning, we have been dry today here in Arnold.

Tornado warnings popping up just north of Richmond...that cell is worth watching as it's moving towards the north...

Past 1" at DCA now, was .96" last hour and have picked up another .06" so far with this little storm moving through.

Are there any tropical characteristics to this system?

First of all, weatherdudeVA, we got our real storm!! And it just keeps going and going!

Second, the rain sounds particularly beautiful today because there are leaves on the trees.

Perfect.

Also, far be it for me to make it through a storm without asking some question...

How come in the midwest storms never move from east to west like this one is? Growing up, if you wanted to see what the weather was going to be like for the next half hour, you looked west. Always.

Laura in NWDC: Yep! Ever since 9:00 this morning it's been thundering every 20 minutes or so. :) It's pitch black in Lake Ridge right now, the big cells that are developing keep going JUST west of me. Darnit.

Looks like Sterling's Radar is back up and running at 519 PM

Yay! :)

...and it's back down...

At least they're working on it. Sorry for the triple post.

2.70 and counting here in the LoCo bootheel...easily will crack 3 inches and may approach 4...with thunder and lightning in the last 15 minutes.

"I'm curious to see how Cameron Run (Alexandria) handles this rain."

This morning, Holmes Run at Duke Street (not to far from where Cameron Run actually begins, right?) was rather high and strongly flowing. It can only have gotten higher. The Canada Goose sitting on her nest a little ways from the flowing water this morning may not have anything to sit on right now.

2.20 inches in northwest Montgomery but someone has to have received more because Seneca Creek is about to go over its banks in several places.

2.25" so far in NW Spotsy. Looks like I could see 3" from this system. I'll take all I can get, still think this will b an ultra hot dry summer.

Sounds like Hell Bob!

Lots of rain today... not much this evening, though, apart from a heavy shower that lasted about 5 mins.
Looks like we could get back into the action overnight here in LoCo as the low drifts eastward.
It's drifting eastward, right? I'm feeling left out.

Still raining in Harpers Ferry, so I'm waiting till tomorrow to check gauge. But I can say this is the most I've seen at one time since the Big Rain of two Junes ago. I got more than 10" on my garden that time and the house did some alarming settling, studs popping everywhere.

NWS just released statement on tornadoes in the area today:

...TWO TORNADOES STRUCK THE MARYLAND SUBURBS OF WASHINGTON SUNDAY AFTERNOON...

Are any more tornadoes likely overnight with this system?

2.70 in NW Spotys., 3" still looking possible. The more the better 4 my well, this has really been a nice soaking rain.

A rumble of thunder just trumpeted in the next batch of rain. It's going to be close, but if the system doesn't move west, McLean may receive another 1-2 inches.

Just went outside and looked up...clear skies all around, with a slight haze. It's actually rather pleasant outside, it's interesting how much of a difference you can have within relatively short distances, I've had .49" through midnight, it hasn't rained since 5 this afternoon. Just a little farther west in Montgomery, Howard, Frederick and other counties to the west rainfall amounts are in the 2-3" range.

At 1:20 am, it was pouring hard in Vienna. The radar makes it look like this rain may wrap around and get us again from the West. Enough with the rain already, Capital Weather Gang. Please make it stop.

Got the report on the tornado hitting Peters Seventh-Day Adventist School on Fox 5 PM News. (Yes, they had news on at 5 PM yesterday...no NASCAR event!!!). This was the stronger of the two tornadoes, an EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.