Rain continued to soak the Washington region Thursday, drowning a man in Anne Arundel County, snagging commuters, felling trees in Arlington and flooding roads and buildings in Prince George’s County.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Lee are expected to cause even more damage heading into Friday, with the National Weather Service putting the entire region under a flash flood watch until late Thursday.
The storm has already dumped half a foot of rain on the D.C. region, with some areas, including parts of Montgomery County, getting as much as 8.5 inches, according to the weather service. Forecasters predicted the region would get another inch or more Thursday, aggravating flooding problems.
Anne Arundel County police said a man was pulled from high water behind his Pasadena home Wednesday night, but emergency officials could not revive him. He died at the hospital. County police also rescued an elderly couple after their car was stranded in floodwater.
Rain and floods slowed commutes throughout the region.
MARC trains battled flooding in the tunnel at the Bowie station, while the Maryland State Highway Administration reported that 130 state-maintained roads had closed since noon Wednesday due to flooding.
Officials managed to reopen 100 of those roads, even as rising water was closing others, including southbound Route 301 near La Plata. Officials urged drivers to take the Beltway or I-95 to get from Maryland to Northern Virginia.
Police have also shut down westbound Route 4 near Old Marlboro Pike, with water completely covering two lanes. Traffic was backed up about half a mile as cars were forced to turn around on an exit ramp to escape the flooding.
In Virginia, high water levels shut down Route 110 at Memorial Bridge during Thursday morning rush hour after partially closing the 14th Street bridge during Wednesday evening’s commute.
Arlington’s Washington Boulevard was closed between George Mason Drive and Harrison Street after a tree toppled, taking power lines with it. It reopened around 2 p.m.
Fairfax County also was reporting problems with flooded streets.
“This storm is very different from the effects of Hurricane Irene,” said Darrell Mobley, Maryland’s acting highway administrator. “Up to 10 inches of rain fell within a 24-hour period, and inevitably water found its own way, causing road closures and dangerous driving conditions.”
Prince George’s County firefighters evacuated 12 people and two dogs from businesses and houses near Marlboro Pike and Peerless Avenue — the same area in which officers rescued three people from a stranded car Wednesday night.
Prince George’s officials closed their central government building due to flooding and opened its emergency operations center.
Officials reported that the town of Upper Marlboro was “completely shut down.” Foot-high water rushed down Crain Highway off Route 4, carrying tree debris along in white rapids. Water rushed into the parking lot of a nearby Ford dealership, reaching the windows of cars parked on the lot.
The D.C. Department of Public Works is handing out sandbags Thursday at RFK Stadium until 4 p.m.
Pepco reported 1,434 Maryland and District customers without power shortly after midday Thursday. Dominion Virginia Power reported no weather-related outages but a spokesman said they had seen some trees and branches fall.
Arlington County officials urged residents on Fenwick Drive and Arlington Terrace to move their vehicles to higher ground Thursday morning after flooding swamped the area.
Officials warned residents to prepare for the worst for Thursday evening.
“Many creeks and streams in the inner portion of metropolitan Washington are running high and still rising. These waterways will likely exceed their banks and cause flooding,” a D.C. alert message said.
Alexandria, with flood-prone Old Town, reported no significant damage. A spokesman said the city would not be handing out sandbags today. A representative from the Old Dominion Boat Club, which sits on the Potomac River, said the building wasn’t having any problems with flooding, but that tides were higher than usual.
