Alert archive / Maryland / Tornado Warnings in 2026

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Baltimore/Washington

July 18, 2026Loudoun County, Virginia; Frederick County, Montgomery County, Maryland

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this tornado warning at Jul 18, 2026, 2:16 PM EDT for Loudoun County, Virginia; Frederick County, Montgomery County, Maryland. It was in force for 17 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jul 18, 2026, 2:16 PM EDT (18:16 UTC)
Expired: Jul 18, 2026, 2:33 PM EDT
In force: 17 min
Issued by: NWS Baltimore/Washington
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.75 in

Counties Frederick County, MD, Montgomery County, MD, Loudoun County, VA

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 29 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:17 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 18, 2:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr
Jul 18, 1:55 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 6.3 hours before the alert went out and 31 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1396 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -112 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 936 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 126 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 131 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.4
Supercell composite: 5.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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.

NWS Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jul 18, 11:48 AM EDT, 2 hours 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 18, 11:48 AM EDT, 2 hours 28 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 18, 2:15 PM EDT, 1 minute before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 18, 10:51 AM EDT, 3 hours 25 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 18, 11:41 AM EDT, 2 hours 35 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 18, 12:08 PM EDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 18, 12:55 PM EDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
1255 PM EDT Sat Jul 18 2026

MDZ509-510-181745-
Eastern Garrett-Western Garrett-
1255 PM EDT Sat Jul 18 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CENTRAL GARRETT COUNTY...

At 1254 PM EDT, a strong thunderstorms were located over Preston
and Garrett Counties, moving east around 30 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gust 30 to 40 mph and lightning along with heavy
         downpours that may lead to ponding of water on roadways.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...
Mountain Lake Park, Oakland, Bittinger, Deer Park, Merrill, Hutton,
Jennings, Deep Creek Lake State Park, Swallow Falls State Park,
McHenry, Big Run State Park, New Germany, Piney Grove, and McComas
Beach.

This includes Interstate 68 in Maryland between mile markers 23 and
26.

&&

LAT...LON 3971 7902 3960 7900 3948 7907 3947 7910
      3946 7910 3946 7911 3945 7910 3944 7912
      3943 7911 3941 7948 3956 7948
TIME...MOT...LOC 1654Z 259DEG 26KT 3953 7939

BJL

Local storm report, Jul 18, 1:52 PM EDT, 24 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
152 PM EDT Sat Jul 18 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0148 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     3 SSW Madison           38.35N  78.28W
07/18/2026                   Madison            VA   911 Call Center

            A tree was down along Route 29 and Gibbs Road.

&&

Event Number LWX2607364

BJL

Local storm report, Jul 18, 2:02 PM EDT, 14 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
202 PM EDT Sat Jul 18 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0145 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Winchester              39.17N  78.17W
07/18/2026                   Frederick          VA   Emergency Mngr

            Several trees down in Winchester.

&&

Event Number LWX2607365

DH

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 18, 2:16 AM EDT	Heat Advisory	LWX	Arlington, Fairfax, King George, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford and 6 more	16 hr
Jul 18, 2:30 AM EDT	Small Craft Advisory	LWX		28 hr
Jul 18, 6:36 AM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		54 min
Jul 18, 9:23 AM EDT	Flood Watch	LWX	Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, City of Alexandria, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church	14 hr
Jul 18, 1:28 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Culpeper, Greene, Madison, Orange	47 min
Jul 18, 1:39 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Clarke, Frederick, City of Winchester	66 min
Jul 18, 2:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Clarke, Loudoun	33 min
Jul 18, 2:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Albemarle, Greene, Madison, Orange, City of Charlottesville	36 min
Jul 18, 2:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	LWX	Loudoun	49 min
Jul 18, 2:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Loudoun	28 min
Jul 18, 2:47 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park	43 min
Jul 18, 2:54 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Culpeper, Fauquier, Orange, Spotsylvania, Stafford, City of Fredericksburg	20 min
Jul 18, 2:55 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		95 min
Jul 18, 3:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	LWX	Loudoun	49 min
Jul 18, 3:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Orange, Spotsylvania, Stafford, City of Fredericksburg	44 min
Jul 18, 3:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Arlington, Fairfax, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church	25 min
Jul 18, 3:26 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		2 hr
Jul 18, 3:27 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		63 min
Jul 18, 3:38 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX		37 min
Jul 18, 3:45 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		60 min
Jul 18, 3:47 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William	28 min
Jul 18, 3:48 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		58 min
Jul 18, 3:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William	32 min
Jul 18, 4:04 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		56 min
Jul 18, 4:44 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		61 min
Jul 18, 4:45 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		60 min
Jul 18, 4:53 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		90 min
Jul 18, 5:11 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		64 min
Jul 18, 5:35 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		55 min
Jul 18, 5:37 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		46 min
Jul 18, 5:58 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		84 min
Jul 18, 6:25 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		57 min
Jul 18, 3:25 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Garrett	35 min
Jul 18, 4:27 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Garrett	33 min
Jul 18, 4:37 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Garrett	23 min
Jul 18, 10:51 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Garrett	54 min
Jul 18, 11:41 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Garrett	64 min
Jul 18, 12:08 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Garrett	52 min
Jul 18, 12:55 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Garrett	50 min
Jul 18, 1:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Frederick, Washington	50 min
Jul 18, 2:33 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	LWX	Frederick, Montgomery	17 min
Jul 18, 2:34 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Carroll, Frederick	41 min
Jul 18, 2:39 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Garrett	66 min
Jul 18, 3:14 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	LWX	Frederick	92 min
Jul 18, 3:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Howard, City of Baltimore	31 min
Jul 18, 3:37 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Cecil, Harford	23 min
Jul 18, 3:54 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	LWX	Anne Arundel, Baltimore, City of Baltimore	54 min
Jul 18, 4:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, City of Baltimore	29 min
Jul 18, 5:09 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Saint Mary's	51 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Maryland, 2026 Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 2026 Every tornado warning in 2026 Tornadoes in 2026

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.