• Severe thunderstorm watch and flood watch until 9 and 10 pm * Both severe thunderstorm and thunderstorm watches are in effect for an area stretching from Virginia to New Jersey through this afternoon due to the chance of thunderstorms, especially between 5 and 10 p.m. destructive gusts of wind. Remember that a severe storm watch means that the ingredients are in place for severe storms, but they may or may not come together. However, if a severe thunderstorm warning is issued for your location, it means a severe storm is imminent and you should seek shelter. A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia until 9 p.m. EDT pic.twitter.com/ssV8JYzFwS — NWS Severe Tstorm (@NWSSevereTstorm) July 2, 2022 As of late this afternoon, a few storms have already appeared along the Interstate 64 and Interstate 81 corridors, but no storms are imminent in the immediate metro area. Strong to severe thunderstorms are more likely during the evening hours – especially towards sunset. The weather will be milder on Sunday, with the chance of rain quickly diminishing in the morning and then clearing skies in the afternoon. Until tonight: Storms may slowly close in on the area by the evening hours. The main threats are damaging wind gusts in some storms. Second, we have the risk of flash floods and lightening. At least half an inch of rain is possible for many of us, but a quick shower of an inch or two in the heaviest storms can’t be ruled out. Additional showers or smaller storms are possible later overnight as temperatures drop into the 60s and low 70s. We’ll be watching the rainfall late tonight to make sure it doesn’t worsen the flooding problems from previous storms. Watch this current weather in the Washington Post. Tomorrow (Sunday): The last of the rain will move out of the area in the morning as light southwesterly breezes turn to the northwest, suggesting the cold front has passed. Southern Maryland may be the last place in the region to clear its showers, perhaps by midday. After the showers end, we all have a few more hours of cloud behind them, but afternoon skies will be bluer. High temperatures may range from 83 to 88 degrees and humidity levels will slowly drop. Check out Ian Livingston’s weekend forecast. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For related release news, check out Gridlock. Strong to severe thunderstorm tonight Tonight the area around the Beltway should watch the 6 to 9 p.m. window. That’s when storms may target the DC area and Interstate 95 the most. A few storms could linger after that, but the chance for damaging wind gusts should diminish just before the threat of flooding rain. Light hail and frequent lightning are also possible tonight, even as the strongest storms die down shortly after 9 or 10 p.m. Always remember “when it thunders, head indoors” — if you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike . Want our 5am forecast delivered to your inbox? Register here.