Pat Cuadros

*** Evening update on Monday severe storm threat in DC region *** We are continuing to monitor potential for severe storms at some point on Monday. Two things are true: 1) The atmospheric ingredients forecast to come together Monday translate to an usually high chance of severe storms -- capable of damaging winds, hail and tornadoes -- for the middle of March in the DC area. 2) Even when a lot of atmospheric ingredients are in place anytime of the year, it doesn't always produce a widespread outbreak of severe weather in our region. Some key points to keep in mind: * Isolated to scattered thunderstorms could pop during the morning into early afternoon. Can't rule out them producing severe winds or a tornado, although chances of that are higher later in the day. * Multiple clusters or lines of storms could come through during the afternoon into evening, or the activity could end up more focused as a single line toward evening. * Storms have the potential to topple trees and power lines, leading to outages. If severe storms become numerous across the region, then significant travel disruptions and flight delays are possible. * While the timing of the worst storms is hard to pin down (we hope to have a better idea by morning), it won’t be many straight hours of non-stop severe weather. So if a warning is issued for your location or where you're headed, play it safe and delay travel until the threat has paused or passed. Repeating from an earlier post, here are some tips to prepare: - Secure or bring loose outdoor items inside - Charge electronic devices - Be aware that downed trees could block routes after the storm - Park your cars away from the trees - As a severe storms passes, move to the lowest floor and stay away from windows. Finally: Have multiple ways to receive storm warnings Monday.