Surveying The Damage: Five Tornadoes, Thunderstorms Topple Trees, Knock Out Power In Parts Of Maryland
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A line of severe weather moved through the area Friday morning, bringing damaging hail and winds and at least five confirmed tornadoes in Maryland.
The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down in northeastern Cecil County. Two tornadoes touched down in Montgomery County and another touched down in Caroll County. A fifth tornado, an EF-1, touched down in Frederick County.
In Virginia, officials confirmed an EF-0 tornado near Leesburg, Virginia, about 25 miles south of Frederick. Crews are out surveying other areas to determine if there were any more tornadoes.
Several tornado warnings were issued for Howard, Frederick and Montgomery counties earlier Friday but have since expired. However, they left behind significant damage in some areas.
"To have thunderstorms and to have this type of convective severe damage that we typically have later in the spring is very unusual," said Steven Zubrick with the National Weather Service.
As of Friday afternoon, BGE reported more than 5,000 customers were without power across its service area. That number was around 1,700 as of 10 p.m. Friday.
Gov, Larry Hogan said MEMA's activation level has been raised to "enhanced" and that state officials are assessing the damage.
"I urge Marylanders to take extreme caution should they encounter flooding, debris, or downed power lines— remember, never drive through standing water," Hogan also tweeted.
FREDERICK COUNTY
A tornado touched down around 7:44 a.m. near Monrovia in Frederick County. The EF-1 twister was on the ground for six minutes and had a path of six miles.
The NWS said the first damage was reported in the 11000 block of Fingerboard Road where a barn and shed were destroyed.
The tornado brought down wires, closing Rt. 75 and Rt. 80.
The tornado crossed over Interstate 70, uprooting trees near Jesse Smith Road before moving into open fields. The last reported damage happened near Bottom Road and Woodville Branch, but crews were unable to continue surveying due to the sun setting.
Video from a WJZ viewer showed extensive wind damage in Monrovia, Maryland.
"Rain was going sideways, things were flying through the neighborhood," area resident Diana recalled.
Nearby, first responders rescued a homeowner who was trapped when a tree toppled through the roof of the home on Jesse Smith Road. She wasn't hurt, but the American Red Cross is helping her because she wasn't able to stay in her home.
Across the street, a vehicle flipped over after getting tangled in a power line.
Frederick County Fire said they also responded to multiple reports of trees and wires down. They urged everyone to travel with caution. The fire department also shared photos of damage in Mt. Airy.
The county's parks department also said Old National Pike Park will be closed through the weekend as crews make repairs and clean up the damage.
CARROLL COUNTY
In Carroll County, damage was reported along Main Street in Westminster and at one point 2,000 people were without power after the severe storms rolled through that area. Much of the damage was concentrated within an eight-block radius.
A roof even blew off a building.
Officials later confirmed an EF-1 tornado hit the city.
The National Weather Service said the Carroll County tornado began near the Avondale Ridge community just southwest of Westminster and just west of Route 31. From there, it headed northeast through the city roughly along Ridge Road and Union Street.
The last damage from the tornado was near Lucabaugh Mill Road and Route 27. Northeast of Westminster, the tornado lifted for around four miles until it dropped again near Manchester.
Officials said a video posted to social media showed the twister in the area. Wind speeds were estimated at around 90 miles per hour.
Numerous trees came crashing down, including one that narrowly missed a family's home.
"Oh, it was really loud, like a boom or something like that," said Henry Groves.
As the warnings came in, schools sent out back-to-back alerts to parents. Some students huddled in the basement.
"The storm came in pretty quickly and left quickly," said Westminster Police Capt. Nikki Heuer. "We started receiving calls for service for trees down."
Once the winds died down, the cleanup began.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Two tornadoes, an EF-1 and an EF-0, touched down in Montgomery County just before 7:30 a.m. The EF-1 happened near Dickerson and the EF-0 happened near Boyds. Both lasted only around a minute.
The EF-1 tornado touched down near the Potomac River near Martinsville Road and took the roof of a barn and flattened a pole barn. It spun up northeast of a storm cell that dropped an EF-0 tornado in Leesburg, Virginia.
The twister stayed on the ground for around a mile before lifting. Officials estimated its maximum wind speeds at 95 miles per hour.
The EF-0 tornado in Montgomery County had a path of more than two miles stretching from Route 28 between White Ground Road and Sugarland Road and the 14000 block of Schaeffer Road, where several buildings at a dog training facility were damaged.
Straight-line winds also downed trees in Montgomery County, closing some roads.
A tree branch even went through a car windshield, as seen in these photos captured by Montgomery County's Fire and Rescue. Luckily, no injuries were reported.
Montgomery County Police said they responded to reports of traffic lights out, trees down, and wires down around the area. They urged residents to treat non-functioning lights as 4-way stops.
CECIL COUNTY
The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado with winds of up to 100 miles per hour touched down in Elkton Friday morning.
Survey crews determined the tornado touched down in northeastern Cecil County near the Pine Hill Apartments in Elkton. It was on the ground for less than a mile before lifting.
A number of trees were uprooted but no major damage to buildings was reported. No injuries were reported either.
HOW TO STAY SAFE DURING A TORNADO WARNING
Residents were encouraged to take cover in a sturdy building on the lowest level possible during the tornado warnings.
When a tornado warning is issued, you should try to go to a windowless interior room. If that is not possible, stay away from all windows and try to be in the center of the room.
WJZ's weather team will continue to track the systems.
Stay up-to-date with the latest forecast by downloading the WJZ weather app.
