The first rainfall associated with Hurricane Irene began to fall in Bethesda shortly before noon Saturday.
Weather officials are expecting a rainfall total of between three to five inches in Montgomery County, along with winds between 30 and 45 miles per hour, ABC7 reports. The worst conditions are expected between late Saturday afernoon and early Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
Sustained tropical storm force winds with gusts up to 60 miles per hour will likely begin in the early evening, NWS reports.
Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
A and a flash flood warning remain in effect.
You can stay up to date with with stories and information on the storm from Patches across Maryland via our Hurricane Irene Facebook page.
Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
We snapped a few first photos of the rainfall. Upload your own rain photos to our gallery, and keep us posted on your experiences during Irene in the comments section, or via Facebook or Twitter.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.