Hail, Montgomery
- When
- May 1, 3:55 PM EST to 4:10 PM EST
- Where
- Montgomery County, Southwest Portion
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 39.000, -77.220
Hail in Maryland, May 1, 1997
A rapidly developing line of low-topped thunderstorms, aided by an unusually steep lapse rate, produced a swath of large hail from the northern suburbs of Washington, DC to northeastern Maryland. The severe storms were triggered by a vigorous cold front.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 6
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 rapidly developing line of low-topped thunderstorms, aided by an unusually steep lapse rate, produced a swath of large hail from the northern suburbs of Washington, DC to northeastern Maryland. The severe storms were triggered by a vigorous cold front. In Montgomery Co, numerous residents reported hail "showers" covering the ground. Nickel to quarter-sized hail affected Bethesda, Potomac, Rockville, Aspen Hill, and Silver Spring in a half-hour period.As the storms continued east and northeast, one-inch diameter hail fell in Calverton, 3/4 inch diameter hail fell in Columbia and Towson, and golf ball-sized hail fell in Bel Air.
The radar
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 23 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:54 UTC.
Event by event
6 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Baltimore
- When
- May 1, 4:05 PM EST
- Where
- Baltimore County, Towson
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 39.400, -76.600
Hail, Montgomery
- When
- May 1, 4:10 PM EST to 4:25 PM EST
- Where
- Montgomery County, Southeast Portion
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Coordinates
- 39.020, -77.020
Hail, Howard
- When
- May 1, 4:10 PM EST
- Where
- Howard County, Columbia
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 39.230, -76.850
Hail, Harford
- When
- May 1, 4:12 PM EST
- Where
- Harford County, Bel Air
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 39.530, -76.350
Hail, Prince George'S
- When
- May 1, 4:30 PM EST
- Where
- Prince George'S County, Calverton
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 39.070, -76.920
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 1 to 29, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 1, 1997
- Lightning Strike in New Jersey, May 1, 1997
- Drought in Texas, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Flooding in Idaho, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Ohio, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Flooding in Montana, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 1, 1997
- Flooding in Louisiana, May 1 to 9, 1997
- Flooding in Texas, May 1 to 9, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, May 1, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Tennessee, May 1, 1997
More
Every storm in Maryland in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, May 1997
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: 5600199, 5600200, 5600201, 5600202, 5600203, 5600204.