Scattered thunderstorms that produced damaging winds, heavy rainfall, hail, and frequent lightning moved through the area between 8 and 11 PM EDT on the 20th. In Montgomery County, lightning struck an apartment complex in Gaithersburg and started a fire that displaced 80 people.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS LWX wrote it up.
Scattered thunderstorms that produced damaging winds, heavy rainfall, hail, and frequent lightning moved through the area between 8 and 11 PM EDT on the 20th. In Montgomery County, lightning struck an apartment complex in Gaithersburg and started a fire that displaced 80 people. The complex sustained 2 million dollars in damage. Pea sized hail was reported in Rockville. In Howard County, trees and power lines were downed in Ellicott City. In Baltimore County, high winds downed power lines and 100 trees across the city of Baltimore. Over 15,000 city customers lost power during the storm. In Cantonsville, lightning struck a home and started the roof on fire. In Prince George's County, two trees were downed across Cipriano Road. Marble sized hail was reported in Lanham.
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 20, 2:08 PM EST, 4 hours 52 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON 308 PM EDT WED JUN 20 2001 MODELS BRING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SLOWLY EAST ACROSS CWA NEXT FEW DAYS WITH COLD FRONT AT THE SURFACE. AS IT DOES MOISTURE WILL INCREASE AND SO WILL DYNAMICS. THIS SHOULD PRODUCE MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TOMORROW AND MORE WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION FRIDAY. UPPER LEVEL AND SURFACE FEATURES SHOULD MOVE EAST OF THE AREA ON SUNDAY TAKING THE PRECIPITATION AND CLOUDS WITH IT. PLEASANT DRY WEATHER SHOULD FOLLOW EARLY NEXT WEEK. FCSTID = 1 DCA 69 86 69 83 / 20 40 30 50 BWI 69 86 69 83 / 20 40 30 50 MRB 65 85 65 80 / 20 50 40 50 IAD 66 85 65 81 / 20 40 30 50 CHO 66 85 65 81 / 20 40 30 50 HGR 65 85 65 80 / 30 50 40 50 NHK 69 86 69 83 / 20 40 30 50 .LWX... DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
406 PM EDT WED JUN 20 2001
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0345 PM ROMNEY WV .88 INCH HAIL
06/20/01 HAMPSHIRE
MKMPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
729 PM EDT WED JUN 20 2001
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0445 PM MARTINSBURG WV WIND DAMAGE
06/20/01 BERKELEY TREES AND POWER LINES WERE
DOWNED. REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
MKMThe Sterling radar (KLWX), 30 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:31 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Eighty people were displaced after a lightning fire severely damaged an apartment complex. The event time was estimated.
Power lines and 100 trees were downed.
Trees and power lines were downed.
The roof of a house caught fire after lightning struck the building.
Two downed trees blocked Cipriano Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maryland in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, June 2001
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: 5254214, 5254288, 5254290, 5254289, 5254291.