Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Maryland, October 21, 1995

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Maryland, October 21, 1995
Start: 1995-10-21T00:12
End: 1995-10-21T06:00
Location: Maryland

October 21, 1995 · 7 events in 6 counties and zones

4 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $60,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 56 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:10 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Frederick

When: October 21, 12:12 AM EST
Where: Frederick County, Thurmont
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.62 mi
Path width: 75 yd
Property damage: $7,000
Coordinates: 39.472, -77.398 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A gustnado touched down in a residential area of eastern Thurmont, uprooting 10 trees, causing substantial limb damage to 30 others, and producing minor damage at four homes. Structural damage was confined to removed shingles, gutters, and a piece of tin roof. Two basketball stanchions were bent at homes along the periphery of the track.

Tornado, Frederick

When: October 21, 12:20 AM EST
Where: Frederick County, Libertytown
Rating: F1
Path length: 1.2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 39.472, -77.398 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A gustnado struck the Fox Ridge community east of Libertytown, causing minor structural damage at three homes, and more substantial damage at a fourth. The storm struck at the entrance to the neighborhood, snapping off limbs of Bradford pear trees. Shortly thereafter, the storm tore a small piece of siding off one home, and snapped off its television antenna. The residence next door had minor shingle damage to the home and a storage shed, and a woodpile was tossed. Heaviest damage was sustained at a residence at the bottom of a hill. A camper was removed from it's anchoring legs and tossed six feet into an exterior wall of the residence, cracking the wall and causing minor damage to the interior. Numerous shingles were removed from the roof, and two adjacent hardwood trees were snapped one-quarter up from the trunknown. The gustnado continued through farmland, then snapped the tops of several oak trees at a residence at the intersection of New Windsor Road (State Route 31) and Bessie Clemson Road before dissipating.

Tornado, Carroll

When: October 21, 12:28 AM EST
Where: Carroll County, Taneytown
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 39.563, -77.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The same line of thunderstorms which produced wind damage near Thurmont raced into northwestern Carroll County, depositing a short-lived gustnado which uprooted five large trees and caused minor damage to several residences.

Thunderstorm Wind, Charles

When: October 21, 2:55 AM EST
Where: Charles County, La Plata
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 38.474, -77.013 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An automated wind sensor recorded a gust of 58 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Anne Arundel

When: October 21, 3:10 AM EST
Where: Anne Arundel County, Riviera Beach
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 38.994, -76.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm winds knocked down trees and power lines in the Riviera Beach vicinity.

Tornado, Harford

When: October 21, 4:08 AM EST
Where: Harford County, Aberdeen
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $30,000
Coordinates: 39.536, -76.299 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A gustnado touched down in the west portion of Aberdeen, damaging a roof at a local motel and blowing 2X4 wood pieces along the track. A two-ton step-van was overturned just northeast of the motel, and a dumpster was moved 70 feet southeast of the track. Numerous small branches were also blown down along the track.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wicomico

When: October 21, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Wicomico County, Waterview
Coordinates: 38.369, -75.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trees and power lines down. Few trees fell onto homes. Few top of trees blown out.

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Maryland in 1995 Every state in 1995 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Maryland, 1995 Warnings in Maryland, October 1995

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10329688, 10329689, 10327125, 10329601, 10327075, 10329788, 10329789.