On Friday, as May neared its close, the District went through its warmest day in almost two weeks, and its wettest day since Thursday. In the evening, warnings of possible tornadoes abounded in the region, but it did not seem that any touched down.
It was particularly windy or gusty in spots, however, and it was thunderstorm winds that were blamed in a report to the National Weather Service of trees that toppled onto the Capital Beltway in the Four Corners area of Montgomery County, temporarily blocking three of four lanes.
During an evening that seemed well stocked with menacing dark clouds, tornado warnings were issued in many parts of the Washington region, from Virginia's Interstate 81 corridor in the west to parts of Montgomery, Prince George's and Anne Arundel counties, among other jurisdictions in the east.
It appeared as if the District was not among the places where radar indicated a need to issue tornado warnings. Such warnings indicate the existence, imminence or likelihood of twisters, as opposed to the watches, which indicate the existence of conditions favorable for their creation.
A witness told the National Weather Service about seeing a waterspout on the tidal portion of the Potomac River, downstream from Washington, near Southern Maryland. Waterspouts are like tornadoes but form over water.
The District did not share in the designation as a place where clouds and winds were dangerously rotating, but it did boast its share of ominously thick gray and black clouds. These seemed such obvious harbingers of storminess that the copious rain that came pouring from them could not have come as a big surprise.
By 10 p.m., it totaled more than three-quarters of an inch. So far, May has been a wet month, with almost seven inches of rain falling in D.C. over many wet days.
Normally, a relatively sudden 0.75-inch downpour, in addition to leaving pedestrians memorably drenched, would also demand respect for its mere quantity. Especially since most of it came in two evening hours.
But, Friday's hissing hours of swift deluge came after a notably soggy Thursday that was the month's second-wettest day, with 1.15 inches. In Anne Arundel County, rain was heavy enough to cause flash flooding and block roads.
Friday seemed relatively warm, with a high temperature of 79 degrees. That was close to the average high for the date, but it was high by comparison. Recent days in the District have been relatively cool. The last day warmer than Friday's 79 was May 17, when it was 87.