UPDATE (5:25 p.m.): Willcoxon Park Trail is closed from Pickett Road to Patriot Harley Davidson on Fairfax Boulevard due to flooding.
(4:37 p.m.): Thursday's flood claimed its third victim, a Lorton man whose body was found at Fort Belvoir. for the story.
(3:46 p.m.): Woodson's varsity football game against Madison will be held at Madison on Saturday, 2 p.m.
Find out what's happening in Fairfax Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
(2:03 p.m.) Is that sunlight? Here's hoping it stays. Fairfax City still under flash flood watch.
(1:11 p.m.): Fairfax High School's varsity football game has been rescheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. Buses will leave FHS for Washington Lee High School at 12:30 p.m.
Find out what's happening in Fairfax Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
(1:00 p.m.): New video added of creek flooding between Student Apartments and the RAC on GMU's Fairfax campus Thursday. University staff placed sandbags around the apartments to keep the water out. Go to Connect2Mason.com for more info on how students waited out the rains.
(12:55 p.m.): The flash flood watch is in effect until 8 p.m.
(12:23 p.m.): Here's an updated list of roads closed outside the city limits.
(12:05 p.m.): FCPS schools will be open for activities Saturday and Sunday. Grass fields on school grounds, however, are the exception. They're closed. Artificial turf fields will remain open.
(11:55 a.m.): Dominion says 133 people are without power south of the city limits, near George Mason University. Click here to get a view from DOM's interactive map.
(11:48 a.m.): on the two locals who died in yesterday's floods.
(11:34 a.m.): Ranger Road Park is closed due to flood damage, according to Fairfax City's EMAS system. It might not reopen for one to two weeks. Call the fields hotline 703 385 7976 for reopening information.
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Forecasters say the rain is supposed to ease off today, but it won't take much to flood already soggy streets.
Fairfax City is under a flood warning until 9:45 a.m. and a flash flood watch until tonight. The National Weather Service predicts low rainfall counts today--less than an inch in the Fairfax area--with the occasional thunderstorm. The rain will continue to taper off over the weekend and make way for partly cloudy skies on Monday.
What you need to know today:
- Fairfax City schools, St. Leo the Great and Paul VI Catholic High School are closed today.
- School Age Child Care (SACC) Centers are also closed.
- All extracurricular activities and activities held on school grounds are canceled.
- I-66 W by Fair Oaks Mall, Route 50 by I-495 and I-495 N just north of Route 50 are this morning's trouble spots, according to Virginia Department of Transportation. They're listed as soggy but "passable."
- Fairfax City Government offices are open.
- Fairfax County Government offices are open, however employees have been granted unscheduled leave. Emergency service personnel should report as scheduled.
- The Fairfax County Circuit Court, General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court are open as scheduled.
- CUE bus service is still running.
- VRE service canceled.
- Metro is running on normal services schedules. Click here for delay information.
- Click here for a list of road closures outside Fairfax City.
- George Mason University classes and admin offices are open as scheduled.
Check Patch for updates throughout the day.
Flash Floods Menace Fairfax City
Torrential downpours trapped motorists in floodwater in Fairfax City and throughout Northern Virginia Thursday. Afternoon flash floods submerged Fairfax Boulevard, Old Pickett Road, University Drive and Roberts Road, making many main avenues within the city limits inpassible. CUE bus and George Mason University shuttle services were suspended. Students were stuck on buses trying to navigate flooded, closed streets and traffic. For some, the trip home took an hour or two.
Fairfax City firefighters pulled 20 people out of submerged cars on Fairfax Boulevard between Eaton Place and Chain Bridge Road. With help from Fairfax County units, city firefighters led drivers out of the swiftly rising waters. There were no injuries. (Check out a reader-submitted video of rescue efforts on Fairfax Boulevard by clicking the thumbnail and then the play button.)
Neighboring towns didn't escape the weather. after falling into Vienna's Piney Branch Creek near Marcliff Court. An Associated Press report said a man was killed yesterday when his car became trapped in rising flood waters in Great Falls.
to read full coverage of yesterday's flash floods.
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