DC Weather: Severe storms trigger flash flood, tornado warnings days after Texas, New Mexico tragedies; check forecast

A tornado warning, along with several severe thunderstorm warnings, was issued in the western part of the D.C. metro area on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. The warnings came after dark clouds accompanied by thunderstorms were witnessed in the region. A flash flood warning was also in effect in several parts of the area, and a flood watch is in effect until midnight, according to WTOP News.

As the warnings came into effect, reports of damage surfaced from the area. Water rescues were also reported in the City of Alexandria, and Main Street in Historic Ellicott City was also closed out of precaution. A tornado warning was issued for northeast D.C. at about 6:45 PM, but it has now expired. It came from a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado that emerged near Howard University.

WTOP meteorologist Mike Stinneford claimed that a rotation within the thunderstorm was visible via radar. Wind gusts up to 55 mph were also reported. He stated that the path of the rotation was heading toward the Chillum area in Maryland. He stated that a “nasty storm was going right through the heart of the District.”


Water reached up to 2 feet deep around 7:20 PM in the 200 block of East Monroe and East Glebe roads in Alexandria. “Urban flooding is a serious concern during the evening commute and overnight, particularly in low-lying and poorly drained areas,” 7News First Alert Meteorologist Steve Rudin said.

7News First Alert Senior Meteorologist Brian van de Graaff called the current weather trend “volatile,” as “tropical moisture surges into the region, ahead of a stalled front.” Rain poured down from the ceiling near the Metro entrance at Reagan National Airport as nearly an inch of rain pummeled the outside in less than 20 minutes. According to WTop News, storms should end by midnight, and showers are likely to hover around overnight.

As far as the Thursday, July 10, 2025 forecast is concerned, the weather is expected to cool down, but there is likely to be no relief as the mercury is expected to drop into the high 80s. The air is expected to remain sticky, and the clouds will thicken. Showers are expected to become more widespread.

The chances of a storm will drop slightly on Friday, July 11, 2025, but more humidity, clouds, and late-day storms are in the forecast. Highs are back in the upper 80s. Any storm could once again bring pockets of moderate to heavy showers, gusty winds, and lightning.

The weekend weather prediction says that the skies will remain partly cloudy and sunny with chances of showers and storms on both Saturday, July 12, 2025, and Sunday, July 13, 2025.

Floods in Texas and New Mexico

Two states of the US, Texas and Mexico, are facing the brunt of flash floods, which have claimed the lives of several people and also left many injured.

In Texas, catastrophic floods struck the central region of the state over the July 4, 2025, holiday weekend, killing at least 120 people, including at least 36 children so far. Officials said more than 170 people were unaccounted for. Most of the deaths were in Kerr County.

Hundreds of rescuers continued to search for victims on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, with federal and state teams assisting. But hopes for finding more survivors had faded. Officials said the last "live rescue" was made Friday.

Meanwhile, in New Mexico, three people lost their lives in a record-breaking flash flood that swept through a village in New Mexico on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, local officials said. The deceased included two young children of a U.S. Army soldier stationed at Fort Bliss, according to ABC News.

The three were "swept downstream by the unprecedented floodwaters that struck" the Village of Ruidoso, village officials said in a statement. "The biggest catastrophe of all is the lives that we lost," Mayor Lynn Crawford was quoted by ABC News as saying during a press conference on Wednesday.