KeynoteUSA—
Storms with damaging tornadoes hit parts of Maryland on Wednesday, leaving at least one person seriously injured and knocking down trees on homes and other buildings in several areas.
In Gaithersburg, Maryland, one of five people who were trapped in a ranch-style home after it collapsed during the storm was taken to a hospital with traumatic injuries, Montgomery County Deputy Fire and Rescue Chief David told KeynoteUSA. Pazos.
Two other homes in this densely populated suburb with about 70,000 residents suffered significant tree damage, according to chief fire department spokesman Pete Piringer. The National Weather Service’s DC area office said the tornado was spotted in Montgomery County shortly after 7:35 p.m. ET.
A tornado was also reported over Arbutus, Maryland, near Baltimore, around 8:55 p.m. ET, the National Weather Service office said, moving east at 25 mph. Details on what damage the tornado caused, if any, to structures were not immediately available. The U.S. Storm Prediction Center said numerous trees and power lines had fallen in the area.
The severe storm threat ended in the Baltimore area Wednesday night as storms moved northeast, where they are expected to weaken. National Weather Service inspection teams are likely to visit the hardest-hit areas to assess damage.
The storm prediction center had 10 tornado reports from Maryland at 10:30 p.m.
@all_HAIL_greene/X
A tornado seen touching down in Poolesville, Maryland, in a screenshot taken from a video.
Regarding the Gaithersburg tornado: Several people were removed from damaged structures and transported to hospitals, emergency officials said.
Montgomery County emergency management officials said the first tornado occurred over Gaithersburg, about 22 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., shortly after 7:40 p.m. ET.
Photos and videos from social media showed a moderate to large funnel on the ground as the storm moved east through parts of Gaithersburg toward Olney. The storm crossed I-270 around 7:30 pm ET.
In the Sykesville, Maryland, area, there were no immediate reports of injuries, but at least 10 structures were damaged, mostly from high winds, according to fire department spokesman Bill Rehkopf. One of them was seriously damaged by a tree.
Weak tornadoes are not uncommon in the DC region, but only a few in recorded history have been EF3 or stronger. In 2002, an F4 tornado devastated parts of La Plata, Maryland, south of DC. That storm killed three people and caused more than $100 million in damage, according to data from the National Weather Service.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Local News, Follow Keynote USA Local on Twitter.