Damaging Winds and Waterspout in Maryland, January 18, 1999

A vigorous cold front swept across Maryland during mid-afternoon on the 18th, accompanied by thunderstorms that produced damaging wind. The Baltimore/Washington International Airport in Anne Arundel County recorded a wind gust of 53 MPH at 3:25 PM. Around 3:30 PM, a spotter near the Carroll/Northern Baltimore County line reported a wind gust of 72 MPH. Other recorded gusts included 44 MPH at Mount Airy Middle School (Carroll County) at 2:55 PM, 48 MPH in Brooklyn Park (Anne Arundel County) at 3:22 PM, 45 MPH at Rivera Beach (Anne Arundel County) at 3:40 PM, and 50 MPH in Annapolis at 3:35 PM. In Carroll County, the storm left behind damage to a barn, downed trees, and the destruction of a house under construction. The wind blew part of the metal roof off a barn that housed a champion horse on Sams Creek Road, one mile north of Taylorsville. The wind left an extension cord stuck 30 feet high in a tree and bent the metal frame of a glass table around a tree. A large tree toppled by the storm blocked Raincliffe Road at Slacks Road in Sykesville. A home under construction in Mount Airy was destroyed by the severe wind. The structure had a roof and outside walls and was scheduled to have the windows installed on the day it was destroyed. In Baltimore County, the storm left behind downed trees and a damaged porch. Several trees and limbs blew down onto cars around the city of Baltimore. In Towson, a two foot plus diameter tree fell across Greenspring Avenue, taking other trees and a power line down with it. A porch awning was ripped from its mooring at a home on Wareham Road in Dundalk. Anne Arundel County officials reported trees down across the county, with a concentration in the Pasedena area. A few businesses in the Glen Burnie area reported minor damage. Several power lines were blown down across Ritchie Highway at Jumpers Hole Road, shutting down the southbound lanes from 3:30 to 7:10 PM. Downed power lines also blocked Belle Grove Road at Thomas Avenue, and traffic lights were out at Route 32 and 198. In addition, a waterspout was spotted by several mariners over the Chesapeake Bay east of Annapolis at 3:45 PM moving toward Kent Island. It dissipated before reaching land. Harford County also reported damage. Near Swan Creek in Aberdeen the wind toppled two trees, removed the roof of a barn, completely swept away a 100 foot long shed, and pushed a tree onto a house. A bicycle and pieces of a tractor were also strewn across the property. Sheet metal from the shed was found 40 yards away from its original location and 30 feet high in a pine tree, and a telephone pole was snapped in half a few feet away. Several traffic lights in and near Aberdeen were out due to power disruptions. Power outages occurred for 11,750 customers in Baltimore City, 800 in Baltimore County, 6,700 in Anne Arundel County, 4,800 in Carroll County, 6,500 in Harford County, 2,400 in Howard County, and 1,650 in Montgomery County.