VIRGINIA — A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect for a large portion of Virginia until 9 p.m. Monday, with forecasters warning that scattered strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to move across the state through the evening.
According to the National Weather Service and the Storm Prediction Center, storms are expected to develop over the mountains before moving east-southeast across central Virginia and toward the Atlantic coast. The primary threat is damaging wind gusts of 50 to 65 mph, although localized heavy downpours are also expected.
The watch covers a broad swath of Virginia, including parts of northern, central, western, and eastern portions of the state. Communities included in the watch range from the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge to the Richmond area, Northern Virginia, the Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula, Eastern Shore, and portions of Southside Virginia.
Areas around Richmond, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, Winchester, Manassas, Alexandria, Fairfax, Gloucester, Accomack, Williamsburg, Petersburg, Danville, Martinsville, Hopewell, Colonial Heights, and numerous surrounding counties are included.
The National Weather Service said residents should remain alert for rapidly changing weather conditions this evening, as severe thunderstorms could produce damaging straight-line winds capable of downing trees, damaging power lines, and causing scattered power outages. Heavy rainfall may also lead to localized flooding in areas where storms repeatedly track over the same locations.
The Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 9 p.m. EDT. Residents are encouraged to monitor the latest forecasts and be prepared to seek shelter if Severe Thunderstorm Warnings are issued for their area.
