Heavy Rains Cause Street Flooding In Historic Ellicott City

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — Historic Ellicott City found itself battling back against street flooding after heavy rains fell Monday night. A flood warning remained in place until 10 p.m. Monday night, replacing a flash food warning that had previously been issued.

Approximately 1.5 inches of rain fell in less than an hour in Ellicott City Monday. Officials shut down several roads for safety's sake, including Main Street, and banned parking in some areas. That came on the heels of 3.35 inches of rainfall that fell during a three-hour period Sunday.

"It will take several hours for water from these storms to work through local drainage systems," officials stated. "The rapid rate of rainfall caused limited, temporary flooding and standing water on Lower Main Street in Historic Ellicott City near Maryland Avenue."

Every business along Main Street had closed earlier. Some residents placed sandbags in front of their doors in the hopes of protecting their property.

"I think sending their employees home was the right move, making sure their employees got out of here before the storm hit," Ellicott City resident Jason Cohen told WJZ.

Rising water near the Patapsco River at the bottom of Main Street prompted the town's outdoor alert system to sound the alarm, pushing people to get to higher ground.

"I was coming from Owings Mills, I was actually coming up from the bottom of the hill over the bridge," Cohen said. "There was a lot of flooding down there, a lot of flooding coming from the side streets as well."

Ellicott City residents and business owners have faced deadly flooding several occasions in recent years, including in 2011, 2016 and 2018. Eddison Alexander Hermond, 39, of Severn, an active member of the Army National Guard, tried to help a woman and her cat during the 2018 floods when witnesses saw him get swept in the floodwaters. His body was found days later on the Baltimore County side of the Patapsco River.

During Monday’s storms, public safety teams received reports of damage and flooding in other areas of Howard County, including:

• Pooling of water at Frederick Rd
• Flooding on Rt. 103 and Rt. 1
• Water in roadway at Guilford Road
• Water in roadway and vehicle stuck (passengers escaped) at Gorman Road
• Tree down at Mullinix Rd
• Tree down at College Ave
• Tree down blocking road at WB Guilford and Mary Ln
• Tree down at Sandhill and Scott Wheeler

This week, the Howard County Department of Public Works will be inspecting streams and removing debris in the Historic Ellicott City watershed as part of the Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan.

High heat, smothering humidity and more thunderstorms have been forecast for an already soggy Maryland this week. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for the state due to the risk of scattered flash flooding possible Tuesday afternoon.

Here is the forecast for the Baltimore region from the National Weather Service:

Tuesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 93. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11 p.m., then a slight chance of showers after 4 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 80. Light south wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday: A chance of showers, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 11 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 101. South wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 80. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Partly sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Thursday night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 82. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 94. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Friday night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8 p.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 77. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Below are components of Ellicott City's Safe and Sound Plan:

Stormwater Retention Ponds
A total of five stormwater retention ponds are included in the safe and sound plan. These ponds are designed to gather and control the release of rainwater and runoff during intense storms.
H-7Completed in 2022, the H-7 pond, located at the interchange of Routes 29 and 40, has the capacity to hold 4.24 million gallons of water in a heavy rain event.

Quaker Mill
Completed in 2023, the Quaker Mill Pond, located at the intersection of Rogers Avenue and Patapsco River Road, has the capacity to hold 3.3 million gallons of stormwater.

H-4
Located along Frederick Road, just west of Route 29, the H-4 pond has the capacity to hold 5.5 million gallons of water. Construction of the H-4 pond should wrap up by fall 2025. The combined stormwater capacity of the H-7, Quaker Mill and H-4 ponds will be more than 13 million gallons – roughly the equivalent of a football field filled 30 feet deep with water.

T-1
Preliminary design of the T-1 pond began in September 2024. Located just west of historic Ellicott City, T-1 will be the first such facility in the Tiber Branch Watershed. The first phase of analysis is expected to be completed in fall 2025. Once complete, the T-1 pond will have the capability to hold 22 million gallons of water, more than doubling the total stormwater retention capacity in the Historic Ellicott City watershed.

NC-3
The NC-3 pond, located southwest of historic downtown, will capture and hold stormwater on the New Cut branch of the watershed. This 20.5-million-gallon capacity facility features a large dam.

Stormwater Conveyance Projects
The Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan features two key stormwater conveyance projects that reduce flood risks by facilitating the safe flow of stormwater around or through historic Ellicott City.

Maryland Avenue Culverts
The Maryland Avenue Culverts project at Lower Main Street creates a new and expanded outlet for water from the Tiber-Hudson Branch to flow into the Patapsco River. Two parallel pipes from the stream channel beneath the CSX rail line to the river will be installed. This project is in the final design phase.

Extended North Tunnel
The Extended North Tunnel Project is the single largest public works project in Howard County’s history and is the focal point of the Safe and Sound plan. The county broke ground on this project in June 2024. This mile-long, 18-foot diameter structure will stretch from the West End to the Patapsco River, protecting the town by funneling upland water flow away from Main Street directly to the river. The tunnel will have the capacity to channel water at a rate of 26,000 gallons per second.

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