Just 11 days after Hurricane Irene prompted area residents to stock up on toilet paper, sandbags and canned goods, those stores might come in handy as the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee arrived on the scene causing flash floods and road closures — including shutting down northbound 14th Street Bridge during rush hour. And forecasters say this isn’t the end of the trouble as the National Weather Service predicts minor flooding in areas along the Potomac River and Rock Creek Park for the next 48 hours. Downed trees are also expected as a result of the rain.
Most of the flooding on Wednesday occurred before the evening rush when more than 1 inch of rain fell over the area during a few hours in the early afternoon. But the accumulation from the night before prompted rainfalls of up to 5 to 6 inches in localized areas, prompting flash floods in several areas across the region and also caused delays on commuter rail.
By early afternoon, several ramps to the 14th Street Bridge northbound were closed because of high water. Other key ways out of the city were temporarily blocked, including 15th Street and Constitution Avenue and the Ninth Street tunnel, according to the D.C. Department of Transportation.
The streets were reopened by 4:30 p.m., but not early enough to avoid massive delays around the National Mall. However the bridge — which is traversed by nearly 180,000 cars per day — remained closed well into rush hour.
Flooding also turned Route 50 in Landover into a wading pool by midafternoon. But some motorists slogged on, posting pictures of the scene to social media websites. Soon after, the Maryland State Police issued a warning to drivers about the dangers of becoming stranded while moving down flooded roadways.
According to the Maryland State Highway Administration, 80 percent of flood-related deaths occur in vehicles and just two feet of rapidly moving water is strong enough to move a bus.
As of early evening, no injuries had been reported from the flooding.
Luckily, area residents haven’t yet had to deal with massive power outages as they did for days after Hurricane Irene.
Forecasts call for several more inches by the end of the week, which experts say is far less than Wednesday but the accumulation will likely cause more water-logged roadways.
The District notified residents it would provide free sandbags for residents at RFK Stadium Wednesday evening. The city distributed 13,500 sandbags for last month’s hurricane preparations.
