Tropical Storm Elsa is expected to leave the southern United States today, making it up the East Coast and likely creating stormy conditions in the D.C. region on Thursday night.

Southern Maryland, including Calvert and St. Mary’s counties, has been placed under a tropical storm watch, as have northern areas of Virginia near the Chesapeake Bay. (Tropical storm watches, which mean storm conditions are possible, can be upgraded to warnings, which means storm conditions are expected, as the storm changes or moves closer to the region). The affected areas could see wind gusts up 50 miles per hour, flooding, and even possible tornadoes. This comes less than a week after the National Weather Service confirmed that two tornadoes touched down in D.C. and Arlington during a strong storm.

According to Capital Weather Gang, D.C. and Baltimore can expect a period of “wind-swept” rain on Thursday night, possibly totaling one to two inches of rain. Elsa could also miss the city completely, as it’s unclear how far north or west of the Bay the storm will push.

https://twitter.com/NWS_BaltWash/status/1412812617148678159

Last year’s tropical storm season was complicated by the pandemic, prompting local officials to take unique emergency preparedness measures, and encourage residents to pack emergency bags. While D.C. isn’t under a storm warning yet, D.C.’s homeland security agency tweeted today that residents should prepare for the storm by bringing in any loose objects outside, being wary of driving through high waters, and keeping electronics charged.