Washington D.C. Under Tornado Watch, Federal Employees Ordered To Leave Work Early

The weather may get wild in the next few hours in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., along with Maryland and Virginia, is under a severe storm and tornado watch.

All Federal employees in the DMV region have also been ordered to leave their offices by 2 p.m.

WTOP had the latest update on possible tornadoes hitting the nation’s capital:

A tornado watch is in effect as the first round of strong thunderstorms moves through the D.C. region Monday afternoon ahead of a cold front expected to bring more severe weather.

The National Weather Service has put the entire D.C. area on alert for possible tornados until 7 p.m.

Many school systems and the federal government are closing early ahead of another band of severe weather forecast to hit the region during the afternoon commute.

Tornado warnings have been popping up for parts of the D.C. region as the National Weather Service spots rotations on the radar. Storms are moving through at 55 mph, packing powerful winds as high as 60 mph.

WTOP Meteorologist Mike Stinneford said residents should watch out for additional tornados as bands of severe weather approach the D.C. metro Monday afternoon and evening.

Federal employees have been authorized for early departure by the Office for Personnel Management. All employees must depart no later than 2 p.m. Monday.

Schools across the D.C. area said they would be closed or would dismiss students early in anticipation of severe weather.

Tornado warning west of Washington DC, small line of strong storms. EarthCam looking west.

Here we go. 😬#tornado #Tornadowarning #DCwx #VAwx #weather #severewx pic.twitter.com/kDOYIrhQM1

— AC  (@ACinPhilly) March 16, 2026

North Carolina is also expected to get hit with tornadoes.

Tornado Sirens going off 20 minutes ago at UNC Charlotte #ncwx pic.twitter.com/GoEDQ7UbWA

— Luke Chapman (@LukeChapmanwx) March 16, 2026

Last week, an EF3 tornado ripped through Michigan, per the Detroit Free Press:

The tornadoes that tore through four southwest Michigan counties March 6, killing four people and injuring nearly two dozen others, were highly unusual not only for their intensity but their early arrival.

The most severe of the four tornadoes that day was the one hitting Union City in Branch County, an EF3 on the 1-5 Enhanced Fujita scale, an international tornado strength measurement. The tornado’s wind speeds maxed at 160 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

It’s the earliest EF3 or stronger tornado in recorded Michigan weather history, eclipsing the EF3 that struck near Ann Arbor on March 15, 2012.

“The craziest thing about watching those videos from that (Union City) event was seeing the tornado moving over a frozen lake and picking up big chunks of ice and throwing them around,” said Jeff Masters, a Highland resident, meteorologist with the nonprofit Yale Climate Connections and co-founder of Weather Underground.

“I have never seen that. That is just off-the-wall, to see a frozen lake and then a tornado ripping the ice up. You shouldn’t be seeing those things together.”

The aftermath:

TOTAL DESTRUCTION : A deadly EF-3 tornado struck Union City, Michigan, on Friday, destroying homes and causing extensive damage. According to the National Weather Service, this was one of the strongest tornados to hit Michigan since 1977. pic.twitter.com/OvoaVWiG1m

— FOX Weather (@foxweather) March 10, 2026