NWS Confirms EF0 Tornado Touched Down In Harford County
JARRETTSVILLE, Md. (WJZ) — It's confirmed. A funnel cloud did touch down in Harford County, downing trees and damaging homes.
Mike Hellgren has more on Monday's cleanup.
The National Weather Service says this tornado cut a path of about a mile and a half through the countryside. It was ranked a zero on the scale, the least powerful type of tornado. Still, it packed quite a punch and was quite a scare for the man who watched it coming.
"Right up here in the sunroom," said Donald Alcorn.
Alcorn watched as the intense storm closed in on his house in Jarrettsville. National Weather Service investigators now confirm a tornado with 80 mile-an-hour winds touched down here Friday night.
"We seen it coming. It just kept getting blacker and blacker and blacker and the wind kept getting worse," said Donald Alcorn.
When it hit, the tornado sliced through trees. One just missed his house as he rushed for cover.
"Total darkness. You could look out the windows and between the little bit of rain that was there and the leaves flying around, you couldn't see anything," Alcorn said. "It's like standing right next to a freight train going 200 miles an hour."
This is not the first time this year a tornado has touched down in Harford County. In June, a twister ripped through Fallston, causing $1 million damage.
Bob Thomas is with Harford County government, which sends out warnings to those who register their cell phone numbers.
"If we tell them it's time to shelter in place, that's what we want them to do for their safety and well-being," said Thomas.
The tornado that hit Alcorn's property didn't injure anyone, and for that, he is grateful. But he still can't forget this close call.
"Fifteen to 20 seconds. It was fast. We were in the eye of the tornado," Alcorn said. "It took down six, seven trees."
Alcorn also said that a mom and her two kids were driving past his house at the height of the storm. Trees were falling down around him and they sought shelter at his house.
He says he signed up for the alerts so he was aware it was coming.
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