Edgewater Tornado Winds Reached 90 MPH, Damaged 6+ Miles

EDGEWATER, MD — Wind speeds reached 90 mph in the tornado that rolled through Edgewater Thursday evening, the National Weather Service says. The twister damaged homes, telephone poles and trees.

Though fierce, the storm was short-lived. It touched down around 5:57 p.m. and ended by 6:07 p.m.

The tornadic activity started in Beard's Creek, right off the South River. The storm traveled 6.1 miles to the western bank of the Chesapeake Bay. During its peak, the tornado was 100 yards wide, according to a National Weather Service report.

The first trees fell just north of Lee Airport at the intersection of Edgewater Drive and Park Avenue. The twister reached its maximum intensity in the neighborhood between Solomons Island Road, Virginia Avenue and Ridge Avenue. The whirlwind peaked as an EF-1, which is the second weakest tornado category and has winds between 86 mph and 110 mph.

Ten trees fractured or uprooted in this community. Siding ripped from one home and another saw roof damage.

The swirling winds leveled a fence at a nearby commercial property. At least two power poles snapped during the vortex.

The squall weakened to an EF-0 with 65 mph to 85 mph gusts as it crossed Solomons Island Road. The National Weather Service reported fallen trees near Warehouse Creek along Leeland Road and South River Landing Road.

The superstorm pressed onward through the across South River and into Hillsmere
Shores. A large tree fell on the Key School soccer field. Branches scattered across the pitch and damaged the score board.

About six more trees fell on Hillsmere Drive. The pines were 30 to 40 feet tall.

The tail end of the storm left minor damage near Sunset Drive, Thomas Point Road, the Arundel on the Bay development, Cohasset Avenue, Linden Avenue and Walnut Avenue. The system spread wind damage across Crofton, Davidsonville and Riva, but the Edgewater area was hit hardest.

The National Weather Service says the system dumped 1 to 3 inches of rain across the region. Annapolis resident Tracy King recorded the storm from her apartment building.

Another Annapolitan captured some of the damage in Riva.

Altogether, 5,980 Anne Arundel County homes were without power by 8 p.m. Thursday. 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. Maryland power outages maxed out at 19,846 around 7:30 p.m.

By Friday at 8:45 p.m., 657 properties were without power across the state. About 0.1 percent of Anne Arundel, or 275 homes, still didn't have power Friday evening. Less than 30 outages remained in Prince George's.

The chance for more hazards continued into Thursday 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 Thursday 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
• FedExField
• South River
• Andrews Air Force Base
• Severn River
• Odenton
• Arnold
• Landover
• Camp Springs
• Parole
• Kettering
• New Carrollton
• Walker Mill
• Mitchellville

RELATED:

• Storm Caught On Video; Tornado Damages Annapolis Area
• Tornado Alerts Posted Across Maryland: National Weather Service

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