'It Was Like A Vortex' | Tornado Confirmed In Howard County On May 30, 2019
HOWARD COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) -- The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in Howard County on Thursday afternoon.
It was the second tornado to hit Howard County within a week. This time, the tornado touched down in Glenelg around 3:22 p.m.
EF-1 Tornado Confirmed In Columbia, Maryland
"I could barely shut the front door, it was like a vortex," said Ellicott City resident Stacy Brocker. "I just look across the street and it was a wall of white."
The tornado moved fast but hit hard. Strong winds snapped powerlines and knocked over trees. Chopper 13 was over the scene of some of the damage in Glenelg.
Entire traffic signal post down at Pennsylvania and MLK @wjz pic.twitter.com/vYhFjZHj7W
— Kelsey Kushner (@KelseyKushnerTV) May 30, 2019
Some houses were hidden under branches after trees snapped. Another house had its siding completely ripped off.
Just a couple miles over, the Howard County salt dome had its covering ripped wide open due to the tornado.
In Ellicott City, a house was crushed by a tree. The homeowner said that the branches punched holes through the ceiling of the second floor.
Tree fell on top of a house in Howard county and came in through their upstairs room. The family was not inside at the time, but came home to find the carpets completely saturated @wjz pic.twitter.com/bLGV3moZQf
— Kelsey Kushner (@KelseyKushnerTV) May 30, 2019
"Things were wet, insulation all over the place, but at least we're still in one piece," the homeowner said.
An electrical fire sparked not too far from Ellicott City in Clarksville.
"It took the trees right out of my backyard, spun them right out of the ground," said Clarksville resident Grace Standon.
Howard County officials address yesterday's tornado @wjz pic.twitter.com/o4187TEqLj
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) May 31, 2019
So far, there have been no injuries reported.
The National Weather Service will be out Friday to conduct its investigation to determine the extent of the damage and the strength of the tornado.