Update, Monday, 2:00 p.m. — The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Fairfax County Tuesday evening through late Wednesday night.

A flood watch means there is potential for flooding.

The NWS also says 3 to 5 inches of rain may fall in that time period.

Original Story:

The storm system that caused 31 tornadoes in the South and Midwest over the weekend is heading here this week.

While conditions in Northern Virginia are not expected to be that severe, the system is expected to dump a three-day rain event on the area.

The National Weather Service says the rain will move in later today and continue overnight and into Tuesday.

Tuesday night is when the big storm starts to happen.  

Wednesday’s thunderstorms could be strong, with damaging wind gusts and hail. There could be several inches of rain, but forecasters will update on expected totals as the storm gets closer.

In the meantime, keep your umbrella handy through Thursday. You will need it.

Photo: Rain/Credit: Bahman Farzad via Flickr