ED Doctor Near Fairfax, VA

Fairfax County government offices are closing early on Monday and meetings are canceled due to severe weather.

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Due to the front of severe weather expected to move through the region on Monday afternoon and into the evening, Fairfax County government granted unscheduled leave beginning at 1 p.m. to all employees.

Fifty-two Virginia counties are under a tornado watch Monday as a series of severe thunderstorms that could produce heavy rains, and damaging winds with gusts up to 80 mph are forecast to hit Virginia Monday, forecasters say.

All three Fairfax County courts – circuit, general district, and juvenile and domestic relations — as well as the Courthouse will close at 1 p.m. on Monday.

All community centers, rec centers and libraries will close at 5 p.m.

Fairfax County's Land Development Services will be closing in-person customer service counters at 3 p.m. on Monday due to inclement weather.

The budget town hall meeting hosted by Supervisor Walter Alcorn and School Board Member Melanie Meren scheduled for 7 p.m. at Lousie Archer Elementary School in Vienna has been cancelled.

In Fairfax City, the Planning Commission meeting scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. has been canceled. The next regular scheduled planning commission meeting will be held on April 13.

All administrative offices at George Mason University in Fairfax will close at 1:30 p.m. on Monday due to the severe weather. In-person classes and events that begin at or after 1:30 p.m. will not meet on campus.

"Students should wait for more information from their instructors about an alternative plan for learning and/or check their syllabus for instructions," according to a GMU alert. "Synchronous and asynchronous online courses may continue online as planned, unless students receive a message with an alternative plan from their instructor."

Information and services about Fairfax County are available online at any time. To find specific department status updates, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/status.

A Tornado Watch and Severe Thunderstorm Warnings issued earlier today (Monday) for Fairfax County have been canceled or expired, but an Areal Flood Warning is now in effect until 6:30 p.m.

“Flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations is imminent or occurring,” the 3:33 p.m. alert said. “Streams continue to rise due to excess runoff from earlier rainfall. Low-water crossings are inundated with water and may not be passable.”

According to the NWS, runoff combined with 1 to 2 inches of rain has resulted in “multiple” reports of flooding along I-495 south of the American Legion Bridge. An additional half-inch of rain is possible in the warned area, which includes Tysons, Reston, Annandale, Vienna, Falls Church, Burke and Chantilly.

A few roads across the county have closed since rain began to fall in earnest earlier this afternoon. According to Fairfax Alerts:

This morning, the NWS issued a Tornado Watch and Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, originally scheduling the former to stay in place until 7 p.m. today, with thunderstorms and strong winds forecast throughout the afternoon and evening.

“Severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds and tornadoes are likely this afternoon and evening,” the NWS said in a hazardous weather outlook just after 11 a.m. “There is the potential for significant damage from wind gusts of 70 to 80 mph as well as an isolated stronger tornado.”

A #TornadoWatch has been issued for NOVA District through 7pm this evening. Damaging winds and isolated tornadoes are possible. Have a plan in place to seek a substantial shelter if needed. Report road hazards to https://t.co/12wxgee8pi or 800-FOR-ROAD. pic.twitter.com/90QFyLQWsd

— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) March 16, 2026

????️ Tornadoes can strike quickly—be prepared! If you're in a house ????, head to the lowest level or an interior room like a bathroom or closet with no windows. Put as many walls between you and the outside as possible. Remember, cover your head and neck to protect yourself. pic.twitter.com/hrRDYZybnK

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) March 16, 2026

In fact, thunderstorms bringing 60 mph wind gusts have already been spotted in the Fredericksburg area, moving northeast toward Northern Virginia, prompting the NWS to issue the thunderstorm warning at 11:17 a.m.

The warning initially applied to southwestern Fairfax County, including Centreville and Clifton, before shifting to northern Fairfax until 12:30 p.m.

“Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall,” the NWS said. “This could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. Roadways may become blocked by downed trees. Localized power outages are possible.”

Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Centreville VA, Dale City VA and Manassas VA until 12:00 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/G0wTJ77V5o

— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) March 16, 2026

In anticipation of the severe weather, Fairfax County Public Schools announced last night that students will be released three hours early and all afternoon activities on school grounds will be canceled.

George Mason University is also calling off in-person classes and events on its campuses after 1:30 p.m., advising students to wait for more information about alternative plans from their instructors.

“It is anticipated that the university will resume normal operations on Tuesday,” GMU said. “Employees are expected to continue their work responsibilities remotely, regardless of scheduled telework days or agreements.”

In addition, Fairfax County is granting all local government employees unscheduled leave starting at 1 p.m. The county’s circuit, general district and juvenile courts and the main courthouse will close early at 1 p.m., and all community centers, recreation centers and libraries will close at 5 p.m.

Early voting at the Mount Vernon and North County governmental centers on Virginia’s redistricting referendum will be cut off at 4:30 p.m. instead of the usual 7 p.m. closing time. The Fairfax County Government Center site closes at 4:30 p.m. on weekdays anyway.

Travelers flying into or out of Dulles International and Reagan National airports could face flight cancellations or delays.

Due to potentially hazardous weather, satellite early voting locations at Mt. Vernon and North County governmental centers will close at 4:30 p.m. today instead of 7 p.m. The Government Center location will close at 4:30 p.m. as scheduled.

Info: https://t.co/dJRYCD6ER9 pic.twitter.com/Dl1itfs36D

— Fairfax County Votes (@fairfaxvotes) March 16, 2026

With the forecast for severe weather this afternoon in the D.C. area, some flights could be delayed or canceled. Please confirm the status of your flight with your airline before coming to the airport. pic.twitter.com/hJ4UgpD1Qy

— Dulles Airport (IAD) (@Dulles_Airport) March 16, 2026

The full Areal Flood Warning is below.

…FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 630 PM EDT THIS EVENING…

* WHAT…Small stream flooding caused by excessive rainfall is expected.

* WHERE…Portions of central Maryland, including the following county, Montgomery and northern Virginia, including the following county, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church and Fairfax.

* WHEN…Until 630 PM EDT.

* IMPACTS…Flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations is imminent or occurring. Streams continue to rise due to excess runoff from earlier rainfall. Low-water crossings are inundated with water and may not be passable.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS… – At 333 PM EDT, emergency management reported that increased runoff combined with 1 to 2 inches of rain has led to multiple reports of small stream flooding of roads along with storm drain flooding along the I-495 south of the American Legion bridge. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain have fallen.

– Additional rainfall amounts up to 0.5 inches are possible in the warned area. – Some locations that will experience flooding include… Centreville… Rockville… Bethesda… Reston… Annandale… Fairfax… Vienna… Falls Church… Mantua… Pimmit Hills… Mclean… American Legion Bridge… Potomac… North Bethesda… Burke… Oakton… North Potomac… Chantilly… Tysons Corner… Wolf Trap… – Please visit www.weather.gov/safety/flood for flood safety and preparedness information

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.

Stay away or be swept away. River banks and culverts can become unstable and unsafe.

RICHMOND, VA — A bill introduced by Del. Rip Sullivan (D-Great Falls) targeting loud vehicle mufflers is expected to pass the Virginia House of Delegates on Wednesday.

Sullivan introduced the legislation in response to frequent constituent complaints about loud mufflers that significantly diminish quality of life.

Some mufflers are even modified to sound like "automatic weapon fire," according to Sullivan, leading residents to call 911 fearing "gunplay" in their neighborhoods.

House Bill 55 authorizes a pilot program for the use of noise abatement monitoring systems in specific Virginia localities. The bill amends the Code of Virginia to allow these systems to detect and help enforce exhaust system violations — specifically targeting vehicles emitting noise exceeding 95 decibels.

The legislation establishes the legal framework for how these monitoring systems operate, how the resulting data is handled, and the civil penalties that can be imposed on violators. This act is temporary and is set to expire on July 1, 2028.

Monitoring System Operations

Enforcement and Penalties

Vendor And Administrative Rules

Under the provisions of HB55, the pilot program for noise abatement monitoring is authorized for localities within four specific planning districts. Based on the 2026 regional designations, the eligible counties and cities are:

This district covers the highly populated areas near Washington, D.C.:

This district includes the Piedmont region southwest of Northern Virginia:

Also known as PlanRVA, this district encompasses the greater Richmond metropolitan area:

HB 55 originally included Planning District 15 (Richmond), which includes Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent and Powhatan counties, and the town of Ashland and the City of Richmond.

When the Senate voted to pass the legislation, it added an amendment to remov District 15. Sullivan will recommend the House accept the change when he introduces the bill for a final vote on Wednesday.

In 2025, both houses of the Virginia General Assembly passed similar noise abatement legislation, but Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) vetoed it. Although Sullivan hasn't spoken to Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) about HB55, he expects her to sign it.

"I'm glad that residents of Fairfax will finally have its leaders in power to help address what I think is an issue of real concern to people's quality of life," he said.

FAIRFAX, VA — Fairfax City homeowners could see their annual real estate bill increase by an average of $633 if the City Council adopts the maximum real estate tax rate it set at its meeting on Tuesday night.

The council voted 4-3 to advertise a maximum real estate tax rate of $1.095 per $100 of assessed value for Fiscal Year 2027.

The decision establishes a legal ceiling for the upcoming budget. While the council can adopt a lower rate during final deliberations on May 5, it cannot exceed this advertised limit without restarting the public notification process.

For the average Fairfax City homeowner, the combined annual impact of the advertised tax rate and utility fee increases is estimated at $687.84, or approximately $57.32 per month. This total does not include the additional costs associated with the 0.5 percent meals tax increase.

The advertised rate is higher than the $1.08 rate originally proposed by City Manager Daniel Alexander.

Also See ...

Councilmembers Anthony Amos, Stacey Hardy-Chandler, Billy Bates, and Mayor Catherine Read voted in favor of the higher ceiling to provide more budgetery flexibility. Councilmembers Stacy Hall, Tom Peterson, and Rachel McQuillen voted against the motion.

The potential increase for homeowners is driven by two factors: a 4-cent hike in the tax rate (up from the current $1.055) and a projected 4.3 percent average increase in property assessments.

Estimated Tax Increases By Property Value

Utility Fees And Additional Taxes

The proposed budget also includes adjustments to utility rates and the city’s meals tax:

Total Combined Costs

For the average Fairfax homeowner, the combined annual impact of the advertised tax rate and utility fee increases is estimated at $687.84, or approximately $57.32 per month. This total does not include the additional costs associated with the 0.5 percent meals tax increase.

FY 2027 Budget Plan Timeline

City residents can use Engage Fairfax to provide feedback on the FY 2026 budget. They can also send an email to the mayor or City Council, speak at a council meeting or submit a video for a public hearing. Learn how to use all these tools at the City Meetings page.

Though DC Water has lifted its advisory warning against recreational activities on the Potomac River, Virginia health officials are remaining cautious after millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled into the water earlier this year.

The Virginia Department of Health announced yesterday (Thursday) that it has lifted a recreational water advisory for the river from Chain Bridge (Glebe Road) in Arlington to the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge in King George County, but it remains in place for a 4.7-mile stretch upstream from Chain Bridge to the American Legion Bridge (I-495) in Fairfax County.

“For the safety of people and pets, VDH is advising Virginia residents to avoid recreational water activities in this area of Potomac River, such as swimming, wading, tubing, white-water canoeing or kayaking, where full-body submersion is more likely to occur,” the department said for the area still under an advisory.

The advisory against boating and other activities on the water has been in place since Feb. 13 after wastewater overflows caused by clogged pumps in early February exacerbated a sewage spill from Jan. 19, when the Potomac Interceptor collapsed in Montgomery County.

The 54-mile-long pipeline carries sewage from Northern Virginia, including Fairfax County and Dulles International Airport, to a treatment plant in D.C. Its collapse near Clara Barton Parkway dumped more than 200 million gallons of wastewater into the Potomac River, requiring DC Water to set up an emergency bypass system so the sewer can continue functioning while repairs are made.

According to the VDH, water quality samples taken by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality on Feb. 17, 25, 26 and 27 found that the bacteria concentrations in the Potomac had become “acceptable for all recreational use,” though swimming has long been prohibited.

Samples collected by D.C. closer to the spill site, however, “continue to show higher values of E. coli,” the Virginia health department said.

There remains no evidence that the spill has affected drinking water, health officials say.

More tips from the VDH on how to prevent recreational water illnesses: