Powerful storms wreak havoc in mid-Atlantic: 'It sounded like a freight train'

Powerful storms wreaked havoc on the Washington, D.C., area Friday, with wind gusts reaching over 65 mph in Maryland.

In Monrovia, Maryland, when fierce winds barreled through, resident Wayne Burall Jr. "was in the closet, curled up."

"It happened so quick, I heard it coming -- it was here," he told ABC News. "It sounded like a freight train."

"I'm just thankful to be alive," he said.

Tornado warnings were issued in Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Friday morning as the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for northern Virginia.

"Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall," the National Weather Service warned. "Tornadoes can develop quickly from severe thunderstorms. If you spot a tornado go at once into the basement or small central room in a sturdy structure."

Over the last three days, 380 damaging storms were reported from Louisiana to New Jersey, including 29 reported tornadoes.

The severe storms killed five people in the South, from Alabama to Tennessee to South Carolina to North Carolina, according to The Associated Press.

Almost 6 inches of rain fell from Georgia to the Carolinas and southern Virginia, flooding neighborhoods, prompting rescues and cutting off entire towns.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency Thursday night.

Weekend forecast

The storm system will continue to strengthen as it moves through the Northeast with heavy snow across the interior Northeast, ice in Northern New England and high winds along the coast.

Parts of upstate New York and northern New England are already seeing a foot of snow.

Wind advisories stretch from Georgia to New England as gusts could reach over 50 mph through Friday afternoon.

A storm is also hitting parts of the Rockies Friday. Over 2 feet of snow has already fallen in the Colorado mountains as 4 to 7 inches of snow hits the Denver area.

Next, a system will hit the Pacific Northwest Friday with coastal rain and mountain snow. It will move inland across the northern and central Rockies on Saturday.

By Sunday morning the storm will move into the Plains. Winter storm watches are in effect from South Dakota to Wisconsin.

The storm will move east on Monday, possibly bringing a messy commute with it. The interior Northeast may get heavy snow while D.C., New York and Boston are forecast to be hit with rain.

ABC News' Matt Seyler contributed to this report.