Maryland, 1996

Tornado in Maryland, July 19, 1996

July 19, 1996 · NWS LWX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A short-lived weak tornado briefly touched down approximately 2 miles north of Whites Ferry. Numerous trees were knocked down on a small island (in the Maryland portion) of the Potomac River.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
$30,000
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.

A short-lived weak tornado briefly touched down approximately 2 miles north of Whites Ferry. Numerous trees were knocked down on a small island (in the Maryland portion) of the Potomac River. More trees were knocked down along the C&O Canal and along Whites Ferry Road. This tornado was associated with the parent thunderstorm that produced earlier damage in southern Washington and Frederick Counties.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Montgomery

When
July 19, 2:36 PM EST
Where
Montgomery County, 2 mi N of Whites Ferry
Rating
F1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
150 yd
Crop damage
$30,000
Coordinates
39.230, -77.470

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

More

Every storm in Maryland in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Maryland, 1996Warnings 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5568062.