WASHINGTON — Heavy rain and strong winds brought down multiple trees across the region on Thursday, including in a Spring Valley neighborhood where at least three homes narrowly avoided massive damage.
The conditions led to a Yellow Weather Alert being declared by the WUSA9 weather team as scattered storms and downpours brought flooding concerns.
On Thursday evening, the aftermath of the destructive conditions could be seen along Fordham Road NW and Upton Street NW.
Outside Kai Reynolds' home, a tree collapsed and damaged his daughter's car while also crushing two cherry blossom trees nearby.
"My daughter's car is damaged on the front hood and the front bumper," he said. "We’re really fortunate that this big tree came off, hit my daughter's car and damaged our landscaping but did not touch our house."
Just up the street, Massimo Russo said a quiet afternoon inside his home turned into something far different when storms rolled in.
"I was watching TV and resting and I heard a very big bang," he said. “It happened very quickly."
After walking outside, he found a big tree that normally stood near the road instead of on its side in his front yard. The tree clipped his home but luckily avoided causing major damage by mere feet.
"There is a little bit of damage on the corner of the roof and the sideboard," he said. "Before we can repair anything, we have to remove the branches of the tree.”
Next door, his neighbor looked on as others walked outside to assess the damage. The woman's home avoided seeing downed trees, which led her to feel lucky after the storms passed.
"It’s just astonishing to come back and see all this wreckage around us," she said. "I feel the gods were looking out for us.”
A District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department spokesman told WUSA9 that no injuries or significant damage to homes were reported along Fordham Rd NW.
Friday is expected to bring similar conditions to Thursday, with the 90s for afternoon temperatures and a heat index at or above 100 degrees. Scattered thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours are expected. Some storms may produce gusty winds and heavy rain while isolated instances of flooding are also possible.