Rain, Thunderstorms to Continue Throughout Fairfax County

Cindy Monroe rushed from the passenger side of a friend’s car through the morning rain to the cover of the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro Station Friday morning.

Monroe, of Vienna, said she works in Washington, D.C. and drove to work Thursday only to spend hours trying to get home. Fearful of what problems Friday’s rain could cause, she decided to get a ride to the train station and take public transportation.

“It was horrible yesterday,” Monroe, 29, said. “I was behind the same cars all the way home it seemed and I swear, I heard the same songs at least twice on the radio. Hopefully taking the train will be better.”

Commuters were stuck in traffic for hours Thursday evening because of flooded roads and traffic jams caused by heavy rain. Kevin Witt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said showers will continue to move through Fairfax County Friday morning and through the evening. Witt said there is an 80 to 90 percent chance of thunderstorms through Friday afternoon. Witt said Fairfax County could see between an inch to four inches of rain Friday depending on the development of a band. As the storms continue to move through Fairfax County, Witt said the likelihood of thunderstorms will decrease to a 60 to 70 percent chance this evening.

Rushing from a Metro bus with her umbrella up, Morgan Brunson, of Annandale, shook her head as she walked to the Metro station entrance. She said she wanted to drive to work in Washington, D.C., but was deterred after last night’s traffic jams and flooding.

“It was really bad last night,” said Brunson who moved to Northern Virginia from Arizona eight months ago. “I hope it’s not like this all the time.”

For Jon Petersen, this rain didn’t ruin his parade to work Friday morning. When he walks out of the office this afternoon, he will start his vacation. He’s scheduled to fly to Hawaii for a week-long trip.

“I can’t wait to get there,” Petersen, of Falls Church, said. “At least there I can soak up some sun and not have to carry an umbrella. I thought about walking the beaches in Hawaii all week to get me through this week.”