(Washington, DC) Weather forecasters are predicting a tropical storm could dump several inches of rain on the District over the next 24 hours. The rain began this afternoon and is expected to intensify overnight and continue Thursday.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch from midnight tonight through Thursday evening for the DC Metropolitan Area, with 2-4 inches of rainfall expected. Wind gusts are also possible and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is preparing to address downed trees in addition to any flooding associated with the storm.

District residents and travelers are reminded to take the following precautions:

• STAY AWAY from downed wires. Call Pepco at (202) 872-3432 to report downed wires and crews will be dispatched as soon as possible.
• Call 311 for any downed trees or large limbs causing damage or blocking roadways and sidewalks. Please provide a specific address including building number and street name, if available, so crews can quickly identify the location and respond.
• If you have to travel on the roadways, please treat any signals that are dark as a 4-way stop. This means the first vehicle to the intersection stops and then proceeds first. Please wait your turn.
• Be alert for possible blocked streets due to downed trees and be prepared to turn around or detour around an area.
• If you can, please clear sidewalks of any small fallen tree branches and debris. Place the debris at the curb so DDOT crews can pick it up later in the week.

To report a power outage, call PEPCO’s 24-Hour Outage Report Line at 1-877-PEPCO-62 or 1 (877) 737-2662.

Report clogged storm drains or catch basins by calling the DC Water Emergency Line at (202) 612-3400.

For traffic alerts during the storm please follow us on twitter @DDOTDC.