The lack of rainfall during the fall of 2001 created a buildup of dry fuels such as leaves, branches, and brush on forest floors, which resulted in high fire danger. Because of the dry conditions, an ember from an unattended fire, a discarded cigarette, a spark from machinery or a rifle, or lightning could easily start a fire.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
The lack of rainfall during the fall of 2001 created a buildup of dry fuels such as leaves, branches, and brush on forest floors, which resulted in high fire danger. Because of the dry conditions, an ember from an unattended fire, a discarded cigarette, a spark from machinery or a rifle, or lightning could easily start a fire. Due to the high fire danger, the governor of Maryland instituted a statewide outdoor burning ban between November 9th and December 11th. Even with precautions in place, several wildfires broke out during the month of November. Statewide, 456 fires burned 2800 acres during the fall season. Gusty winds caused a few fires to rapidly spread out of control and consume hundreds of acres.In Harford County, testing of artillery shells and small weapons on Aberdeen Proving Ground sparked several small fires on the morning of the 5th. The small fires, fanned by up to 40 MPH wind gusts, eventually combined into one large fire which spread into a wooded area north of Romney Creek. The fire burned for over two weeks and consumed 1100 acres before it could be extinguished. In Washington County, a wildfire broke out at the Indian Springs Wildlife Management Area about 3 miles north of Clear Spring on November 9th. High winds caused the fire to grow from 15 acres to 400 acres within 24 hours. Flames up to 15 feet high forced firefighters to evacuate the area on the 10th. The fire was finally contained on the evening of the 11th after burning 615 acres. In Allegany County, two separate fires burned over 900 acres of woodland. The first fire began around midday on the 6th about 1/2 mile southeast of Westernport. Gusty winds pushed the fire rapidly up a steep hill away from the town located along George's Creek. The fire raged for two days and scorched 400 acres. Part of Route 135 was closed by heavy smoke and 26 firefighters were treated for minor burns or smoke inhalation. The second fire burned over 500 acres on the south flank of Little Allegheny Mountain about 5 miles northwest of Cumberland. This fire was located in the Portertown area of the Green Ridge State Forest where steep terrain hindered firefighting efforts. The fire which began on the 8th reached within 2 miles of the Pennsylvania border before it was brought under control on the 11th.
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 Nov 5, 9:10 PM EST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON 910 PM EST MON NOV 5 2001 LTST DATA INDICATE HI PRES CENTERED OVR THE OH VLY STATES CONTINUES TO BUILD SLOLY ACRS THE CWA. WNDS HAVE DIMINISHED SOME BLO DAYTIME VALUES. TDS ARE WELL INTO THE 20S AND SAT IMAGERY ALONG WITH CURRENT TRENDS SUGGEST A CLR OVRNGT PERIOD. WNDS WL NOT DECOUPLE AND RMN IN THE 10 TO 15 MPH RANGE MOST AREAS OVRNGT. AGAIN...WND NOT XPCTD TO INCRS TO FIRE WX CRITERIA TMRW...HENCE WL LET CURRENT RED FLAG WRNG XPIRE AND NO FIRE WX WATCH FOR TUE ATTM. HWVR...THE FIRE DANGER WL PERSIST WITH DRY AMS AND WOODLANDS COVERED WITH DRY LEAF BLNKT PROVIDING FUEL. OTW THATS IT FOR NOW...NEXT TIME. FCSTID = 13...PAP .LWX... DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Ammunition testing started a large blaze at Aberdeen Proving Ground which consumed 1100 acres over a two week period.
A wildfire burned 400 acres of steep terrain on the edge of Westernport.
Over 500 acres of steep wooded terrain burned in a wildfire on Little Allegheny Mountain northwest of Cumberland.
A fire at Indian Springs Wildlife Management Area north of Clear Spring burned 615 acres.
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, November 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: 5272154, 5272156, 5272157, 5272155.