Storms Rattle Stafford; More Expected Later in Week

Storms slammed into North Stafford area Tuesday night lighting up the skies and bringing drenching rains.

At 9:09 p.m., a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the eastern portion of Stafford County. However, dark skies formed over the area about an hour and a half prior to the first warning.

Natasha Basalyga, a PotomacLocal.com reader from Winchester, Va., sent these photos of the storms into our news desk.

This may be our first go-round with summer-like weather this week. More storms are in the forecast as showers are likely on Thursday, and then thunderstorms are likely Thurday night into Friday morning — and those could be heavy.

Here’s more from the National Weather Service:

THE COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA THURSDAY AFTERNOON…SLOWING CONSIDERABLY OVER THE APPALACHIAN MTNS. A STRONG LOW LEVEL JET AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL EFFECTIVELY USHER MOISTURE INTO THE MID ATLANTIC THROUGH THE DAY THURSDAY. WITH PW VALUES BETWEEN ONE AND A HALF AND TWO INCHES OVER THE AREA FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING AND MODERATE INSTABILITY AHEAD OF THE FRONT…PERSISTENT MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINS COULD LEAD TO FLOODING CONCERNS.

A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE WILL FORM ALONG THE STALLED FRONT EARLY FRIDAY MORNING AND RIDE UP ALONG THE EAST COAST THROUGH THE DAY ON FRIDAY. THOUGH THERE IS MINOR MODEL DISAGREEMENT ABOUT THE EXACT LOCATION OF THIS FRONT…THE EFFECTS OF THE WAVE ARE GENERALLY AGREED UPON. THE HEAVIEST RAIN SHOULD FALL AS THE WAVE PASSES LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING. THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE WILL DEPEND UPON THE EXACT TRACK OF THE LOW. THE UPPER LEVEL TROF WILL BECOME MORE NEGATIVELY TILTED BY THIS TIME AND THE PASSAGE OF THE WAVE WILL USHER THE FRONT OFF OF THE COAST THROUGH THE DAY ON FRIDAY…WITH CHANCE POPS HANGING AROUND INTO THE EVENING MOSTLY ALONG AND EAST OF I95.