Tornado, Waterspout Confirmed In MD: National Weather Service

COLUMBIA, MD — Severe weather hit Maryland this week, from a tornado in Howard County to a waterspout on the Chesapeake Bay.

On Sunday morning, a waterspout was reported offshore of Deale in Anne Arundel County.

A waterspout is a whirling column of air and mist in the water, according to the National Weather Service.

"Steer clear of waterspouts when out on the water, as they can easily overturn your vessel and produce strong winds," weather officials advised.

Here is a video of the waterspout shared by Southern MD Wx and News.

For the latest on Maryland weather, get Patch news alerts.

On Sunday, the National Weather Service also posted a hazardous weather outlook for central Maryland, stating: "Isolated severe storms are possible this afternoon and evening with locally damaging wind gusts being the primary threat. The best chance for stronger storms will be across central Virginia this afternoon and then across central Maryland and northern Virginia this evening."

See the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.

A tornado touched down in Maryland during the severe storms that crossed the region Thursday, investigators with the National Weather Service confirmed.

At a Columbia shopping center, officials said the tornado ripped the facade off a BJ's store, lifted shopping carts off the ground and snapped up trees.

Howard County was under a tornado warning until 5:30 p.m. Thursday, and weather officials said the tornado hit around 5:07 p.m.

At its peak, the EF-0 tornado reached winds of 70 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. The agency classifies tornadoes on the enhanced Fujita scale, which puts EF-0 at the bottom, at 65 to 85 mph.

The main damage occurred at Snowden Square shopping center, where officials said a 50-by-20-foot section of the facade at BJ's in the 9000 block of Snowden River Parkway was ripped off.

Before 8 p.m. on Thursday, Howard County fire and rescue officials said the building had been evacuated as a precaution. BJ's had reopened by Friday morning, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Tornado Investigation From National Weather Service

Here are the preliminary findings about the tornado from the National Weather Service:

RATING: EF-0
Estimated peak wind: 70 mph
Path length/statute: 0.3 mile
Path width/maximum: 50 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0

Start date: Thursday, July 29
Start time: 5:07 p.m.
Start location: Columbia, MD / Howard County, MD
Start latitude/longitude: 39.1811 / -76.8219

End date: July 29, 2021
End time: 5:08 p.m.
End location: Columbia, MD / Howard County, MD
End latitude/longitude: 39.1823 / -76.8167

This is the full report on the Columbia tornado from the National Weather Service:

A BRIEF EF0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AT THE SNOWDEN SQUARE SHOPPING MALL. DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO A QUARTER-MILE PATH, AND PEAK WIND GUSTS WERE ESTIMATED TO HAVE BEEN AROUND 70 MPH.

INITIAL TREE DAMAGE WAS NOTED IN FRONT OF THE GOODWILL STORE WHERE TWO ORNAMENTAL TREES WERE SNAPPED AT THEIR BASE. SMALL BRANCH AND LEAF LITTER WAS NOTED AS THE TORNADO PASSED OVER THE OPEN PARKING LOT TOWARDS A BJS STORE. AS THE TORNADO PASSED OVER A BJ'S STORE AND TIRE CENTER, A SECTION OF THE WALL FACADE, ESTIMATED ABOUT 50 FEET BY 20 FEET, WAS REMOVED. THE AFFECTED WALL WAS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE FROM THE DIRECTION OF STORM MOTION. AN EMPLOYEE AT THE TIRE CENTER NOTED THAT NEARBY SHOPPING CARTS WERE LIFTED AND THEN RAPIDLY BLOWN TO THE NORTH. THE STORE MANAGER NOTED THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT FROM A VIDEO TAKEN IN THE STORE SHORTLY AFTER IT HAPPENED. THAT TIME MATCHED THE TIME THAT A TIGHT TORNADIC CIRCULATION WITH HOOK ECHO WAS NOTED RIGHT OVER THE SHOPPING CENTER BY THE NEARBY TBWI TERMINAL DOPPLER RADAR. TBWI RADAR HAD A GOOD VIEW OF THE EVENT, AND WAS JUST 10 MILES AWAY AND SAMPLING ONLY 600 FEET OFF THE GROUND OVER THE SHOPPING CENTER.

FINAL DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO TWO MORE MID-SIZED TREES AT THE END OF SNOWDEN SQUARE DRIVE. LARGE BRANCHES WERE SNAPPED OFF AND THROWN IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS, NORTH TO SOUTHEAST. TRASH AND DEBRIS WAS ALSO NOTED TO HAVE BEEN BLOWN TO THE SOUTHEAST INTO AN ADJACENT FIELD. NO FURTHER DAMAGE WAS NOTED PAST THIS POINT.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE THANKS THE HOWARD COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE WITH THIS SURVEY.

Here are the categories for tornadoes on the enhanced Fujita scale:

• EF0.........65 TO 85 MPH
• EF1.........86 TO 110 MPH
• EF2.........111 TO 135 MPH
• EF3.........136 TO 165 MPH
• EF4.........166 TO 200 MPH
• EF5.........>200 MPH

In May 2019, Howard County was hit by two tornadoes in one week.

An EF-1 tornado hit Columbia on May 23, then another EF-1 tornado hit Glenelg May 30, 2019.

Related:

• After 2nd Tornado In A Week, Howard County Is Recovering
• Tornado Traveled 5.5 Miles, Howard County Storm Survey Reveals
• Tornado Confirmed In Columbia

Severe Weather Around Mid-Atlantic

Maryland was not the only area where the storms took a toll this week on the East Coast.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey were under similar severe weather warnings Thursday, and both states had confirmation of multiple tornadoes touching down.

The most severe tornado damage was in Bucks County, Pa., where a car dealership was leveled by an EF-3 tornado, The Washington Post reported.

See Also:

• 5 Tornadoes Confirmed In Philly Region: See Investigation Details
• Multiple Tornadoes Hit New Jersey On Thursday: See Where
• EF3 Tornado Confirmed In Bucks Co. Thursday
• Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm Alerts Posted Across Maryland