Flash Flooding and Hail in Maryland, August 30, 2001

Name: Flash Flooding and Hail in Maryland, August 30, 2001
Start: 2001-08-30T12:00
End: 2001-08-30T20:00
Location: Maryland

August 30, 2001 · NWS LWX · 10 events in 4 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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: 1
Property damage: $90,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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.

Thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall, frequent lightning, and damaging winds moved through Central Maryland during the afternoon and early evening of the 30th. In Howard County, the Patapsco River overflowed sending water rushing down onto Route 1 in Elkridge. The highway remained closed for several hours and some cars became stalled in the high water. A total of 3.4 inches of rain was recorded in Elkridge and 2.53 inches of this total fell in one hour. Marble to quarter sized hail was reported in Columbia. In Prince George's County, a 16-year-old boy was struck by lightning in the Bowie area. He was treated for non-life threatening injuries. A home in Bowie on Pond Meadow Lane caught fire after being hit by lightning. In Calvert County, two homes were hit by lightning in Dunkirk and a corn field was flattened. Up to 3 inches of rain reportedly fell in only one hour. In Charles County, flooding was reported in Hughesville. Trees and power lines were downed countywide. In Anne Arundel County, storms with heavy downpours sat over the northern portion of the county during the afternoon and caused extensive flooding. Several roads were closed after creeks and streams overflowed. The southbound lanes of Ritchie Highway were closed after Cypress Creek overflowed. Flooding was also reported on Fort Smallwood Road, Rock Hill Road, and Forest Drive. Seven basements were flooded. An observer in Riviera Beach recorded 2 inches of rainfall in only 30 minutes. An observer in Annapolis reported 0.70 inches of rain in only 10 minutes. By early evening, these storms affected the entire county and contained frequent lightning and damaging winds. Officials reported 15 downed trees and power lines in the Linthicum area. Nine buildings were struck by lightning. One bolt started a two alarm fire at a home in Pasedena which resulted in $80,000 damage. Lightning also caused damage at Baltimore/Washington International Airport. A series of strikes over a 10 minute period burned two holes in Runway 1028 and damaged the airport's main radar tower. Rainfall totals included 5.53 inches in Riviera Beach, 4.24 inches at Baltimore/Washington International Airport, 3.44 inches in Millersville, and 3.00 inches in Odenton. Around 20,000 customers lost power across the county as a direct result of the storms.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 30, 9:15 AM EST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 30, 9:15 AM EST, 2 hours 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
1015 AM EDT THU AUG 30 2001

WEAK HI PRES ACRS THE AREA ATTM ALONG WITH A WEAK FRNTL BNDRY XTNDG
FM NEAR FDK TO BTWN IAD AND DCA THEN E OF EZF. SCT SHWRS AND A FEW
TSTMS HAVE BEEN ACTIVE AHEAD OF THE BNDRY. SAT IMAGERY DEPICTS GNRL
CLDINS E OF THE BLUE RDG WITH PATCHES OF DENSE FOG RMNG TO THE WEST
OF THE RDG WHICH WL DISSIPATE BY ARND NOON. OTW ERLR FCST PKG
APPEARS ON TARGET FOR THE RMNDR OF THE DAY. SLT OR 30 POP CHC WL DO
FOR ANY CONV ACTVTY WHICH WL BE DIURNALLY DRIVEN WITH LTL OR NO UPR
SUPPORT. FOG AND CONV BEING HANDLED WITH NOWS.

THATS IT FOR NOW...LATER.

FCSTID = 13...PAP
DCA   86  72  86  69 /  20  10  30  50
BWI   86  69  86  67 /  20  10  30  50
MRB   85  67  85  65 /  20  10  30  60
IAD   86  67  86  65 /  20  10  30  50
CHO   85  68  85  67 /  30  20  40  50
HGR   85  66  85  64 /  20  10  30  60
NHK   86  69  86  67 /  20  10  30  50
W99   86  68  86  66 /  20  10  30  60

.LWX...
DC...NONE.
MD...NONE.
VA...NONE.
WV...NONE.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 lightning, 3 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Anne Arundel

When: August 30, 12:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Anne Arundel County, South Portion
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.994, -76.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning, Anne Arundel

When: August 30, 12:15 PM EST
Where: Anne Arundel County, Pasadena
Property damage: $80,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 38.994, -76.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck 9 buildings across the county and caused a 2 alarm house fire in Pasedena.

Flash Flood, Anne Arundel

When: August 30, 1:00 PM EST to 6:30 PM EST
Where: Anne Arundel County, North Portion
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.994, -76.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous roads and basements were flooded.

Thunderstorm Wind, Anne Arundel

When: August 30, 5:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Anne Arundel County, 2 mi SE of Linthicum Hgts
Property damage: $8,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.533, -76.783

Fifteen trees and power lines were downed in Linthicum.

Hail, Howard

When: August 30, 5:02 PM EST to 5:07 PM EST
Where: Howard County, Columbia
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.251, -76.931 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Marble to quarter sized hail was reported.

Lightning, Anne Arundel

When: August 30, 5:24 PM EST
Where: Anne Arundel County, Baltimore Washington
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.994, -76.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning damaged a runway and the main radar tower at BWI.

Lightning, Prince George'S

When: August 30, 5:30 PM EST
Where: Prince George'S County, Bowie
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.183, -76.633

A 16-year-old boy was injured by lightning. A house caught fire after being hit by lightning.

Flash Flood, Howard

When: August 30, 6:00 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where: Howard County, Southeast Portion
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.251, -76.931 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Route 1 and other roads were flooded in Elkridge after a tributary of the Patapsco River overflowed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Charles

When: August 30, 6:10 PM EST
Where: Charles County, Hughesville
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.233, -76.850

Trees and power lines were downed.

Flash Flood, Charles

When: August 30, 7:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Charles County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.474, -77.013 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Roads and basements were flooded in Hughesville.

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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.
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.
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

Every storm in Maryland in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Maryland, August 2001

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: 5265445, 5265446, 5265447, 5265448, 5265450, 5265451, 5265452, 5265453, 5265454, 5265449.