Alert archive / Maryland / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Baltimore/Washington

July 25, 1994Baltimore County, Howard County, Maryland

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this tornado warning at Jul 25, 1994, 4:01 PM EDT for Baltimore County, Howard County, Maryland. It was in force for 29 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 25, 1994, 4:01 PM EDT (20:01 UTC)
Expired
Jul 25, 1994, 4:30 PM EDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Baltimore/Washington
Area
Whole counties

Counties Baltimore County, MD, Howard County, MD

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 70 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1994-07-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 391 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1994-07-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 0 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
391 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-79 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1361 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
66 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KWBC 252006
TORWBC
MDC027-005-252030-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WASHINGTON DC
401 PM EDT MON JUL 25 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WASHINGTON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  430 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL MARYLAND
 
   ...SOUTHEAST HOWARD COUNTY
   ...SOUTHWEST BALTIMORE COUNTY
 
A FUNNEL CLOUD HAS BEEN SPOTTED NEAR CATONSVILLE IN HOWARD COUNTY. THIS
STORM IS MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH. THIS STORM IS
JUST WEST OF THE BALTIMORE BELTWAY.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.
 
 
 
&

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 25, 1:45 PM EDT, 2 hours 16 minutes before
MDZ005>025-251840-

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
1.30PM EDT MON JUL 25 1994

 ...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ONCE AGAIN NEAR THE BEACHES...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAT AT 1.20PM WAS INDICATING SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS FORMING OVER PARTS OF MARYLAND'S
EASTERN SHORE.

AT PRESENT A DEVELOPING SHOWER IS OVER OF OCEAN CITY MOVING EAST AT
ABOUT 20 MPH. THIS SHOWER WILL PROBABLY DEVELOP INTO A THUNDERSTORM
AS IT MOVES EAST INTO THE ATLANTIC.

OVER SOUTHWESTERN WORCESTER AND SOUTHERN SOMERSET COUNTIES INTO
VIRGINIA LOWER EASTERN SHORE MORE SHOWERS ARE BEING OBSERVED ALONG
WITH AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM NEAR POCOMOKE SOUND. THIS AREA IS ALSO
MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 20 MPH.
THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY CONTAIN HEAVY DOWNPOURS...BRIEFLY GUSTY
WINDS AND DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

KEEP A WATCHFUL EYE OUT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING CONDITIONS AND IF
THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH...SEEK SAVE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

FIGUEROA
Special weather statement, Jul 25, 2:35 PM EDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
MDZ005>025-252000-

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
2.30PM EDT MON JUL 25 1994

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH COVERING ALL OF MARYLAND TIL 9PM EDT.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEVERE STORMS FORECAST OFFICE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THE ENTIRE STATE OF MARYLAND INCLUDING
THE ADJACENT ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS AND THE CHESAPEAKE BAY NORTH OF
PATUXENT RIVER.

AT 2.20PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT PATUXENT RIVER WAS INDICATING SHOW-
ERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SCATTERED MAINLY ALONG THE COASTAL SECTIONS OF
THE EASTERN SHORE. ALL ACTIVITY IS MOVING EAST TO NORTHEAST AT 20 TO
30 MPH.

AT PRESENT THE STRONGEST ACTIVITY IS LOCATED OVER VIRGINIA'S UPPER EAST-
ERN SHORE JUST WEST OF CHINCOTEAGUE AND MOVING IN A GENERALLY EASTERLY
DIRECTION...WHICH SHOULD KEEP IT SOUTH OF WORCESTER COUNTY.
THROUGH MARYLAND'S EASTERN SHORE WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND POSS-
IBLE THUNDERSTORMS ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING.

AND FURTHER TO THE WEST...OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL MARYLAND THUNDER-
STORMS ARE MOVING EAST AND IF THEY HOLD TOGETHER WILL BE AFFECTING
THE EASTERN SHORE BY LATE AFTERNOON.

NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN NOTED OR REPORTED ON THE EASTERN SHORE...
BUT SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DAMAGING
WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHNING.

KEEP A WATCHFUL EYE OUT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING CONDITIONS AND IF THREAT-
ENING CONDITIONS APPROACH SEEK SHELTER IN A STRONG BUILDING BUT MOST
IMPORTANTLY DO NOT STAY OUTDOORS.

STAY TUNED TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO ON YOUR LOCAL RADIO AND TV FOR
THE LATEST STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

FIGUEROA

The office that day

Everything else NWS Baltimore/Washington issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 25, 3:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXMontgomery49 min
Jul 25, 3:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXHoward54 min
Jul 25, 4:07 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXAnne Arundel, Prince George's53 min
Jul 25, 4:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXBaltimore, City of Baltimore44 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Maryland, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.