Storm Caught On Video; Tornado Damages Annapolis Area

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Severe weather struck central Maryland Thursday evening. Short-lived, but potent storms poured heavy rains, blew a strong winds and formed a tornado in the area.

The National Weather Service says the system dumped 1 to 3 inches of rain across the region. The thunderstorms hit the Annapolis area the hardest, with a tornado touching down just south of the city.

Annapolis resident Tracy King recorded the storm from her apartment building.

The twister landed around 6 p.m. and headed toward the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The forceful churning downed trees and power lines and damaged shingles and siding. The National Weather Service confirmed damage along Maryland Route 2, just south of the South River Bridge.

The threat intensified right before 6 p.m. when forecasters detected a severe thunderstorm over Londontowne. That system headed east at 35 mph. The thunderstorm was near Annapolis and Mayo around 6 p.m. and over the Severn and South rivers near 6:05 p.m.

The storm may have also directly threatened these areas:

• Hillsmere Shores
• Riva
• Highland Beach
• Edgewater
• Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
• Eastport
• Bay Ridge
• Edgewater Beach

Another Annapolis resident captured some of the damage in Riva.

Altogether, 5,980 Anne Arundel County homes were without power by 8 p.m. That's 2.38 percent of all the county's residences. Prince George's County saw 1,689 outages, representing 0.49 percent of its houses.

The chance for more hazards continued into the night. A total of 12 Maryland jurisdictions, including Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties, were in a tornado watch until 10 p.m. Thursday.

The Prince George's County Fire Department Tweeted a picture of the storm clouds in Bowie, reminding locals to be prepared for severe weather.

Weather officials believed flooding could have been problematic throughout the night. The National Weather Service said another 1 to 1.5 inches of rain was possible. Parts of both counties were under a flood warning until 1:45 a.m. on Friday.

A watch means those weather conditions could develop within a given time frame. Warnings are more pressing, as they signify a real-time, developing threat.

These are are the most at-risk during the flood watch:

• Bowie
• Annapolis
• Clinton
• Crofton
• Greenbelt
• Forestville
• Largo
• Coral Hills
• Mayo
• Shady Side
• Naval Academy
• Upper Marlboro
• Rhode River
• Fedex Field
• South River
• Andrews Air Force Base
• Severn River
• Odenton
• Arnold
• Landover
• Camp Springs
• Parole
• Kettering
• New Carrollton
• Walker Mill
• Mitchellville

RELATED:

• Tornado Alerts Posted Across Maryland: National Weather Service

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