Lightning TrackerArlington storms: live alerts, hail & tornado history
Live watches and warnings for Arlington, VA, the 48-hour thunderstorm outlook, and every hail, damaging-wind and tornado report within 25 miles since 2016.
Live alerts for Arlington, VA
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Storm outlook, next 48 hours
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Severe weather in Arlington by the numbers
Arlington sits in one of the most active severe-weather areas in the country: since 2016, spotters and emergency managers have filed 1,851 severe-weather reports within 25 miles of the city — 200 hail reports, 1,633 damaging-wind reports and 18 tornado reports. On average that is 23.7 days a year with at least one report.
Storm season here peaks in June, July, August, when 64% of all reports were filed.
In the last 12 months there were 4 hail reports, 98 wind reports and 0 tornado reports around Arlington; the largest hail was 1.25″ (half dollar) on Jun 14, 2026.
Latest storm reports near Arlington
| Date | Report | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 4, 2026 | Damaging wind | 19 mi SW · Prince William Co. |
| Sep 3, 2026 | Damaging wind | 0 mi W · Arlington Co. |
| Sep 2, 2026 | Damaging wind | 3 mi SE · City Of Alexandri Co. |
| Aug 16, 2026 | Damaging wind | 19 mi S · Charles Co. |
| Aug 10, 2026 | Damaging wind | 3 mi N · District Of Colum Co. |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Damaging wind | 18 mi NE · Prince Georges Co. |
| Jul 28, 2026 | Damaging wind | 7 mi NE · District Of Colum Co. |
| Jul 21, 2026 | Damaging wind | 12 mi SE · Prince Georges Co. |
| Jul 18, 2026 | Damaging wind | 5 mi W · Fairfax Co. |
| Jul 6, 2026 | Damaging wind | 20 mi SW · Prince William Co. |
One line per day and type — the closest report that day. Distance and direction from the city centre. The latest SPC reports are preliminary until NOAA finalises them.
Storm reports by year
Storm season in Arlington
All hail, wind and tornado reports within 25 miles, 2016–2026, by month.
Hail in Arlington
Arlington averages 4.9 days a year with hail reported nearby. The biggest stone on record since 2016 was 2.75 inches — about the size of a baseball — reported 21 miles from the city centre on May 2, 2016. Hail of 1 inch (quarter size) or larger is what makes a thunderstorm severe; see the hail size chart.
Tornadoes near Arlington
There have been 18 tornado reports within 25 miles of Arlington since 2016; the strongest was rated EF1 (Jun 5, 2024, 20 miles from the city centre). A tornado warning means a tornado is occurring or imminent — take shelter immediately.
Storm alerts for Arlington on your iPhone
Lightning Tracker shows storm risk around you, live severe-weather alerts and how close the storm is — free on the App Store.
Storm trackers near Arlington
Questions about storms in Arlington
Does Arlington get a lot of severe storms?
Arlington averages 23.7 days a year with at least one hail, damaging-wind or tornado report within 25 miles, based on NOAA Storm Prediction Center reports 2016–2025.
When is storm season in Arlington?
Most severe-weather reports around Arlington come in June, July, August.
What is the biggest hail recorded near Arlington?
2.75 inches (baseball size) on May 2, 2016, 21 miles from the city centre.
Have tornadoes hit near Arlington?
Yes — 18 tornado reports within 25 miles since 2016, the strongest rated EF1 on Jun 5, 2024.
How do I get storm alerts for Arlington?
The live panel on this page shows every active National Weather Service watch and warning for Arlington, VA. For alerts on your phone, Lightning Tracker for iPhone shows storm risk and warnings for your location.
How this page works: storm reports are NOAA Storm Prediction Center local storm reports (final database 2016–2025, preliminary daily reports after that) within 25 miles of Arlington, VA. They are reports of hail, damaging wind and tornadoes — not lightning strike counts, which no free public dataset provides at city level. Live alerts come from the National Weather Service API, the outlook from Open-Meteo forecast models. Updated Oct 4, 2026.