Thunderstorms with strong winds are organizing in northern West Virginia and central Pennsylvania and headed east into the warm, soupy air over Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland. As such, the National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch until 10 p.m.
We are uncertain if the storms will remain organized and strong as they approach the DC area, or if they will weaken and become more scattered.
The storms "should continue to pose a threat for mainly scattered damaging winds through the afternoon and evening as they spread generally eastward," the Weather Service writes. "Peak gusts may reach up to 60-65 mph."
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia until 10 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/629hnrpsTy
— NWS Severe Tstorm (@NWSSevereTstorm) June 11, 2026
Based on their current rate of the motion, the storm should move through the DC area between about 7 and 10 p.m. from west to east. They may be more numerous north of the Beltway than to the south.
The watch extends from just south of DC to as far north as Syracuse, New York.
Because of the extremely humid air in place, the storms will have a lot of fuel to draw from and could unleash damaging wind gusts in addition to heavy rain and lightning.
Remember that a severe thunderstorm watch means conditions are conducive to severe storms but not a guarantee. Stay alert. Then, if a severe thunderstorm warning is issued for your location, it means an intense storm is imminent and you should seek shelter. When thunder roars, go indoors.
