Photos: On the trail after Tuesday’s big storm

by Marlene Berlin

Tuesday night’s deluge was a doozy.

In case you did not witness it for yourself, a Van Ness resident shared a video of the storm and a photo of the aftermath with Capital Weather, which reported the damage was likely caused by microbursts, not a tornado.

(Five tornadoes touched down in Maryland, however. And “substantial rain” fell, Capital Weather said.)

The following morning, I hiked in Rock Creek Park along Western Ridge Trail and saw some signs of the deluge, such as rivulets the stormwater carved in the gravel along steep parts of the trail, but nothing out of the ordinary.

And when I crossed the bridge at the corner of Ridge and Broad Branch Roads, I was treated to the sight of a blue heron landing in the middle of Broad Branch stream.

Then I turned the corner. I saw storm debris stacked on the shoulder of Broad Branch Road.

And in all the years I have been walking in this area, I have never seen the Soapstone Creek culvert so packed with tree trunks.

Stormwater overflow mowed down the vegetation by the culvert.

The first Soapstone crossing west of Broad Branch was partially underwater, and to its left it looked like a lot of sand had been dumped there by fast-flowing water.

More sand and pebbles had been dumped at the next crossing. I was surprised see how significantly the debris narrowed the stream.