Tornado Confirmed in Arlington County

Published on July 03, 2021

The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed that a tornado touched down in Arlington on the night of July 1, near the intersection of Lee Highway and Glebe Road. The tornado moved east through Arlington neighborhoods, including Waverly Hills and Cherrydale, before traveling into Washington, D.C. The tornado was rated as an EF1 and had maximum winds of 90 miles per hour.

In Arlington, the storm caused approximately 5,000 power outages in homes, plus downed power lines and damage from trees. No County buildings or Arlington Public School sites were damaged.

Just after 9 p.m., the Arlington County Fire Department responded to multiple calls for service, including the following:

• 16 fire alarms


• 15 wires down


• 16 outside fires or structure fires


• 1 vehicle crash and 1 technical rescue (resulting from a tree falling on a house)

Tornado Safety

Tornadoes can occur with little or no advance warning. The general rule for tornado safety is "go low and stay low", which means go to the lowest level of the structure, away from windows and crouch in a low position with your head covered.

A tornado watch means current weather conditions may result in a tornado. A tornado warning means a tornado has been sighted. If a tornado warning has been issued for your area, you should take cover immediately.

Sign up for Arlington Alerts

One of best ways to stay informed about severe weather and other emergencies in Arlington is to sign up for free Arlington Alerts. You can sign up to receive alerts on multiple device and choose the types of alerts to receive. An Arlington Alert was issued just prior to the tornado on July 1.