Possible Tornado in the District of Columbia

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The blue at left center is a power flash in this single frame of a video showing the storm moving across the District of Columbia around 9pm EDT. Power flashes occur during tornadoes or very high winds. Quite a bit of damage has been reported from Arlington across the District. 

Above is the 9:11pm radar. The TDWR reflectivity data (left) shows a "leading edge claw echo" which is a signature of a tornado. At right, the Doppler wind data shows rotation in the same area. I would say the chances it was a tornado (at least in places) are a little better than 50/50.

Below is the rotation path across Arlington and the District (click to enlarge).

The National Weather Service is conducting a damage survey.

Update: The NWS determined there was an EF-1 (Arlington to National Mall) and an EF-0 tornado that touched down near the rightmost red area on the above rotation map. The storm moved east. More here. 

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