Name: Flash Flood and Hail in Maryland, May 7, 1999
Start: 1999-05-07T18:20
End: 1999-05-07T21:00
Location: Maryland

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $45,000
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 thunderstorm producing very heavy rainfall, winds over 55 MPH, large hail, and frequent lightning moved across Allegany County between 7:30 and 8:30 PM EDT. A lightning strike started a house fire on Frederick Street in Cumberland at 7:45 PM EDT. One person was reported injured as a result of the fire. Lightning also struck the 1st Presbyterian Church, damaging electrical equipment. Dime sized hail fell in Cumberland at 7:50 PM EDT. County officials also reported wind gusts downed several trees on the west side of Cumberland around 7:50 PM EDT. Between 1.25 and 2.00 inches of rain fell across the county in less than one hour, causing water levels to rise rapidly. A co-op observer in Cumberland reported 1.15 inches of rain fell in only 10 minutes around 8:00 PM EDT. This deluge of water flooded basements and led to high water closures on several roads in Cumberland and across the county. Several cars were stuck in water at the Virginia Avenue underpass in Cumberland. Green Street and Henderson Avenue were also impassable after the storm. Several manhole covers were blown off by rapidly rising water in both Cumberland and Frostburg. Roads in the western end of the county required maintenance after mud and debris settled on road margins after being washed onto the roadway.

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 127 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:52 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood, 1 lightning, 1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Allegany

When: May 7, 6:20 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Allegany County, Countywide
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.622, -78.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning, Allegany

When: May 7, 6:45 PM EST
Where: Allegany County, Cumberland
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.622, -78.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A lightning strike started a house fire

Hail, Allegany

When: May 7, 6:50 PM EST
Where: Allegany County, Cumberland
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.650, -78.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Allegany

When: May 7, 6:50 PM EST
Where: Allegany County, Cumberland
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.650, -78.770

Trees downed on the west side of Cumberland

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Maryland in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in Maryland, May 1999

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: 5697586, 5697583, 5697584, 5697585.