Tornado in Maryland, July 13, 1996

Name: Tornado in Maryland, July 13, 1996
Start: 1996-07-13T02:35
End: 1996-07-13T02:37
Location: Maryland

July 13, 1996 · NWS LWX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Tropical storm Bertha spawned three tornadoes along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay during the early morning hours of the 13th. The third tornado struck extreme northwest Calvert Co, causing the roof and a chimney of a predominantly wood-constructed farm house to collapse.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $120,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS LWX wrote it up.

Tropical storm Bertha spawned three tornadoes along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay during the early morning hours of the 13th. The tornadoes were associated with the strongest feeder bands due north or northeast of the center of circulation, which was located in southeast Virginia at the time.The third tornado struck extreme northwest Calvert Co, causing the roof and a chimney of a predominantly wood-constructed farm house to collapse. The home was temporarily uninhabitable. At least one wall was near failure. A second chimney collapsed at a nearby home, just missing a resident. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted along the path, and one home in the Calvert Estates subdivision sustained minor damage to its gutters.

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 73 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:33 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Calvert

When: July 13, 2:35 AM EST to 2:37 AM EST
Where: Calvert County, Dunkirk to 2 mi NW of Dunkirk
Rating: F1
Path length: 1.2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $120,000
Coordinates: 38.730, -76.700

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Maryland in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Maryland, 1996 Warnings in Maryland, July 1996

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: 5568048.