Maryland, 2001

Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, June 12, 2001

June 12, 2001 · NWS LWX · 4 events in 2 counties and zones

Thunderstorms with hail, gusty winds, and frequent lightning moved across north central Maryland during the early evening of the 12th. In Carroll County, a microburst estimated at 60 to 70 MPH downed trees and power lines in the Hampstead and Manchester areas.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
$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.

Thunderstorms with hail, gusty winds, and frequent lightning moved across north central Maryland during the early evening of the 12th. In Carroll County, a microburst estimated at 60 to 70 MPH downed trees and power lines in the Hampstead and Manchester areas. Some residents in this area were without power for two days. A spotter just southeast of Manchester reported marble to dime sized hail. In Baltimore County, high winds downed trees onto Route 30 near the Carroll County line. Trees and power lines were also downed near the Harford County and Pennsylvania borders. In addition, a lightning strike took out a communications tower at Spook Hill.

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 Jun 12, 2:00 PM EST, 4 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 12, 2:00 PM EST, 4 hours 45 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
300 PM EDT TUE JUN 12 2001

WITH TEMPS IN THE LOWER 90 AND DEW POINTS AROUND 70. HEAT INDICES
WILL RANGE BETWEEN 95 TO 100 DEGREES. SO HAVE ISSUED HEAT ADVISORY
FOR CWA FOR WEDNESDAY. THE CWA WILL BE SQUEEZED BETWEEN EVENING
CONVECTION TO THE NORTH AND WEST AND THE REMNANTS OF ALLISON TO THE
SOUTH. AS ALLISON MOVES NE IT SHOULD SLOW AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS TO
THE NORTH. IN ADDITION REMNANTS OF MCS/CONV ACTVTY OVR THE GRT LKS
AND VCNTY MAY ALSO AFFECT THE CWA. BY LATE WED A WEAKENING H5
IMPULSE PASS TO THE NORTH IN WEAK NW FLOW OF BLDG UPR RDG. SO WILL
INCREASE CLOUDS AND KEEP LOW POPS OF PCPN INTO FRIDAY IN MOST
LOCATIONS. A WEAK COLD FRONT IS PROGED OVER THE WEEKEND SO WILL KEEP
A SLIGHTLY COOLER AND MOSTLY DRY IN THE EXTENDED.

FCSTID = 17
DCA   68  91  68  86 /  20  30  30  30
BWI   68  91  68  87 /  20  30  30  30
MRB   65  91  67  87 /  20  30  30  30
IAD   68  91  68  87 /  20  30  30  30
CHO   65  90  65  85 /  20  30  30  30
HGR   65  91  67  87 /  20  30  30  30
NHK   68  90  68  87 /  20  30  30  30

.LWX...
DC...HEAT ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY FOR ZONE DCZ001.

MD...HEAT ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY FOR ZONES
MDZ002>007...MDZ009>011...MDZ013>014...MDZ016>018.

VA...HEAT ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY FOR ZONES
VAZ021...VAZ025>031...VAZ036>042...VAZ050>057.

WV...HEAT ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY FOR ZONES WVZ048>055.

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 93 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:43 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Carroll

When
June 12, 6:45 PM EST
Where
Carroll County, Northeast Portion
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.667, -76.883

A microburst estimated between 60 and 70 MPH downed trees and power lines.

Hail, Carroll

When
June 12, 6:50 PM EST
Where
Carroll County, 4 mi SE of Manchester
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.633, -76.833

Dime sized hail fell.

Thunderstorm Wind, Baltimore

When
June 12, 7:00 PM EST to 7:30 PM EST
Where
Baltimore County, North Portion
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.667, -76.700

Trees were downed.

Lightning, Baltimore

When
June 12, 7:15 PM EST
Where
Baltimore County, Countywide
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.443, -76.616 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning took out a communications tower at Spook Hill.

What these are

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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Maryland in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, June 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: 5254751, 5254752, 5254208, 5254209.