Check out these photos taken at 5:30 p.m. at the East Falls Church Metro station, where downed power lines have shut down Orange line travel in both directions. Metro has finally issued a full press release on what's happening down there. Based on these images, if you're heading out on the Orange line, our best advice would be to stay in the city tonight until much, much later, if not crash on a friend's couch.......

Deluge '08? Orange line trains are terminating at East Falls Church after power lines fell on both tracks between the East Falls Church and West Falls Church stations at about 3:30 p.m., WTOP is reporting. Metro will provide a free shuttle bus in both directions. Power is also out at the Georgia Ave./Petworth Metro station, though Green and Yellow line trains continue to run and the station is still open. There's no indication yet......

Haven't had enough of the severe weather we've been experiencing over the last several days? The National Weather Service says more of it is already upon us. A severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch have both been issued until 8 p.m. A line of storms are now approaching western Frederick, Loudoun and Fauquier counties, and will move through the metro area over the next few hours. From the Capital Weather Gang: The Storm Prediction......

AP Photo/Steve Helber By some miracle, so far no fatalities have been reported in the wake of three tornadoes and other violent storm activity in southeastern Virginia, with the worst of the damage having happened in Suffolk, Va., just under 200 miles from Washington. Dozens of photos of the destruction of homes and businesses are being posted online. The Suffolk News-Harold has a photo gallery up, and photos on Flickr tagged with suffolk offer plenty......

Londonist are starting to think their city is getting just a little bit too expensive, when even Christian Slater can't afford to go out there. And there's no escaping, as local singer Lily Allen discovered when she was barred entry to the US. The British mapping agency caused further bad karma, by blocking a 3-D representation of London in Google Earth. But the smiles returned to Londonist's faces as they interviewed Baroness von Reichardt,......

Welcome back to work, Washington. Actually, we're curious -- are any of you checking in on headlines from home today, having gone ahead and taken the rest of the week off? If so, we never liked you in the first place. Despite the tornado watch and humid, drizzly conditions, we hope you had a wonderful 4th of July celebration and of course, didn't have any fireworks-related accidents. ABC7 is reporting that at least nine people......

At first today's forecast just looked a little bit annoying: a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms in the late afternoon which, in the words of our esteemed pals at CapitalWeather.com, we'd venture to say "those odds are too low to go changing any plans yet, but high enough to keep an eye to the sky and on radar just in case." In other words, we're packing up to head to a barbecue right now, potential......

How retro. Since embracing new technology — specifically mass text messaging — didn't seem to reach far enough into the local constituency, Virginia emergency management personnel have decided to look backwards instead. They're installing sirens of the Cold War variety to warn people of any impending doom. WTOP tells us Alexandria and Arlington have implemented a federally funded program that will pay for about ten to 15 sirens affixed to telephone poles and buildings around......

>> Is that a branch of Rock Creek or is Q St. just happy to see us? It's wet out there and many D.C. streets and sidewalks are swelling over. Parts of our area are still under siege from a storm front that turned deadly in N.C . A flash flood and tornado watch for D.C. should expire at 6 p.m., but don't expect to find completely dry conditions on the commute home. Elsewhere, Stafford,......

Update: The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for southern Prince William County, specifically around Woodbridge (where the IKEA is). This follows warnings in Spotsylvania County, Fredericksburg, and Stafford County, so that means it's headed our direction. The storm is moving North at 60 m.p.h., so it may not be long before warnings are issued for our immediate area. We'll keep you apprised. Be careful going outside today, folks: The National Weather Service......

So, apparently it rained last night...A tornado touched down in Severna Park, Maryland. The Post says that according to area utility companies, 30,000 customers across Maryland, Virginia and the District lost power last night. I know my Internet is out; can I blame the storm? In other news, today is the 116th birthday of Rock Creek Park: check out the National Park Service's list of activities celebrating the District's very own nature-y goodness. District Teen......

Good morning, Washington. We hope you got through yesterday's tornado warning alright — it seems likely that you did. Today should bring better weather, with a high of 75 and relatively twister-free skies. Optimism Over Voting Rights Bill: Yesterday brought news of Reps. Davis and Norton's bill to bring congressional representation to the District. Now the Post brings us more details on the challenges that the measure will face. Congressman Davis says that the House......

This just in for your rush hour fun: the whole Washington area is under a tornado watch. "Those only happen in the Midwest," you say? Didn't you know you were reading Tulsaist? The National Weather Service has all the details on this evening's weather watch, which will last until midnight. If you want to see the storm for yourself, take a look at the radar image on CapitalWeather.com's front page. The region has a history......

When DCist met Jessica Cutler a few weeks ago, we were charmed. She e-mailed us after we invited her out to drinks and turned out to be a very nice, down to earth person -- surprising, given the stereotype that Washingtonians are obsessed with their own stature. Maybe it was careful media coaching from her Disney-owned publisher, but we got the feeling that she was a genuine person, caught unexpectedly last year in a media......

Holy crap! There was a tornado in the Tidal Basin yesterday, and the rest of the weekend promises to bring another deluge. Nevertheless, we've got some recommendations to keep you dry and having fun. FRIDAY: >> Talented local artrockers Metropolitan hosts a record release party at the Black Cat for their third CD, "The Lines They Get Broken." Aqueduct and Federal City Five open. 9:30, $8. >> The Brindley Brothers, local musicians and owners of......

Though the remains of Frances brushed the metropolitan area, areas to the south and west of Washington experienced a lot of rainfall yesterday. And in some areas, small tornados were spawned. From the Post: A small tornado spun along about 500 yards or so, tearing up some trees by the roots and scattering debris, said Don McGuire, the county's director of emergency management. A National Weather Service-trained spotter -- an emergency manager -- and other......

The National Weather Service has issued tornado and flood watches for the District of Columbia and other areas in the region. The tornado watch is effective until 7 p.m. tonight. Track the latest online direct from the NWS, or from WTOP radio.......