Strong Wind in Maryland, December 30, 1998

Name: Strong Wind in Maryland, December 30, 1998
Start: 1998-12-30T09:00
End: 1998-12-30T12:00
Location: Maryland

December 30, 1998 · NWS LWX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A vigorous area of low pressure moved over Pennsylvania on the 30th, creating windy conditions across Central and Northern Maryland. Wind gusts up to 45 MPH were common during the morning.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: $7,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 vigorous area of low pressure moved over Pennsylvania on the 30th, creating windy conditions across Central and Northern Maryland. Wind gusts up to 45 MPH were common during the morning. These winds knocked down tree limbs, and some of the limbs fell onto power lines. At the height of the wind event up to 14,000 customers across Central Maryland were without power. In Davidsonville (Anne Arundel County), where winds gusted up to 46 mph, a tree limb downed on Route 424 knocked out power to 7,700. The community of Pasadena (Anne Arundel County) reported 1,689 customers without power. Strong winds blew a traffic light down onto a car in Pikesville (Baltimore County). In addition, wind gusts blew water from the Conowingo Dam along the Susqehanna River near Port Deposit (Harford/Cecil County Line) onto nearby streets, requiring salt trucks to treat the affected roads.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Southern Baltimore

When: December 30, 9:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Baltimore forecast zone
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.367, -76.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Northern Baltimore

When: December 30, 9:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Baltimore forecast zone
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.443, -76.616 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Harford

When: December 30, 9:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Harford forecast zone
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Strong Wind, Anne Arundel

When: December 30, 9:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Anne Arundel forecast zone
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.994, -76.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Maryland in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Maryland, December 1998

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: 5674219, 5674220, 5674221, 5674222.