VDOT crews trim hazardous trees near Chantilly in Northern Virginia ahead of the expected rain from Hurricane Florence. (VDOT Northern Virginia District / VDOT Northern Virginia District)

VDOT crews trim hazardous trees near Chantilly in Northern Virginia ahead of the expected rain from Hurricane Florence. (VDOT Northern Virginia District / VDOT Northern Virginia District)

Transportation agencies are beginning preparations Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Florence, which has potential to bring up to 10 inches of rain to the region later this week. With already-saturated ground and a chance for high winds, the storm could bring down trees that could block roads and sever power lines.

The Virginia, Maryland and District departments of transportation are taking down hazardous trees, trimming tree limbs over power lines and clearing drains.

Agencies are reminding drivers not to drive through floodwaters as they are often deeper than they appear.

The National Parks Service, which maintains the George Washington Parkway, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and the roads in Rock Creek Park, say they are monitoring road conditions. The GW Parkway and parts of Rock Creek Park have flooded in recent big rains.

AAA said it expects spikes in gas prices as demand increase along the East Coast. John Townsend of AAA Mid-Atlantic said price increases will be “brief, but dramatic.”

“A catastrophic storm system, such as Hurricane Florence, could cause an increase in fuel demand, due to panic buying, leading up to the storm and then reduce demand dramatically post-hurricane,” Townsend said.

Metro effects

Metro says it hopes to continue regular operations, but the system may adjust schedules if winds get above 45 miles per hour.

“Obviously the winds are a big concern to us, not for our equipment, but for our customers out there on elevated platforms,” Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said at a storm prep news conference Tuesday morning.

It’s testing 58 water pumps that can pump 50,000 gallons of water an hour out of tunnels.

Metro is also asking its paratransit customers to cancel any MetroAccess trips if possible on Thursday and Friday.

Planes and trains

Major airlines, including United, Delta, American and Southwest airlines, are letting passengers rebook flights to and from the affected areas for free. So far, flights out of the Washington area are not eligible.

Amtrak has cancelled Northeast Regional trains south of Washington D.C. Thursday through Sunday.

This story originally appeared on WAMU.

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