Scattered thunderstorms pushed through Southern Maryland between 7 and 9 AM EDT on the 18th. These storms produced damaging wind gusts in addition to three waterspouts.
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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 pushed through Southern Maryland between 7 and 9 AM EDT on the 18th. These storms produced damaging wind gusts in addition to three waterspouts. High wind gusts downed trees in Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary's Counties. Communities reporting downed trees included Nanjemoy, Malcolm, Wallville, St. Leonard, and Dunkirk. On the Potomac River, a waterspout formed about three miles north of the Route 301 bridge. It became a tornado as it struck land about 2 miles south of Faulker at F1 strength (60 to 80 MPH winds). It stayed on the ground for 5 miles and was 50 yards wide. The tornado first struck Popes Creek Road, then pushed east to Budds Creek Road near the intersection of Route 301. Next, it crossed the Wicomico River near the Zekiah Swamp Natural Environment Area. Several boats were damaged. Finally, it crossed Allens Fresh Road before dissipating about ½ mile south of Newport. Along its rural path it downed several trees, removed shingles and screen doors from homes, and destroyed a few sheds and barns. Two other waterspouts were spawned on the Chesapeake Bay. The first waterspout formed near Parker Creek, east of Prince Frederick on the Western Shore. It flipped a boat and sent the three people aboard into the water. One person was injured. The other waterspout formed near the Eastern Shore off Blackwater Point on Tighman Island. A wind gust of 42 knots was recorded at the Choptank River Sensor nearby.
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 May 18, 3:01 AM EST, 3 hours 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON 330 AM EDT SAT MAY 18 2002 SHORT TERM THE LOW AND THE PCPN CONTINUES TO PUSH EASTWARD AND WL END ACROSS THE CWA TODAY WITH DECREAS CLOUDS. STG CAA AND NORTHERLY FLOW BHND SYS WL BRING IN COOL AND BREEZY WNDS TO THE REGION. WINDS WL DECEASE OVERNIGHT AND WL HAVE TO WATCH WESTERN ZONES FOR POSSIBLE FROST IF WINDS GO LIGHT. TEMPS THROUGH SUNDAY WL BE COOL AND BELOW SEASONAL NORMS WITH NW FLOW. ...LONGER TERM...SUN NIGHT THRU FRI... EXTENDED FCST WILL BE QUIET DUE TO LARGE AREA OF HIGH PRES BUILDING IN FROM N PLAINS THRU PERIOD. SUN NIGHT THRU TUE MORNING UL TROF NW OF CWA RESULTS IN 500MB VORT SPOKES SWINGING THROUGH. MODELS SHOW NW WINDS /DOWNSLOPE/ WHICH SHUD KEEP MORE THAN JUST SCT STCU FROM FORMING E OF RIDGES. MOSUNNY/MOCLR FCST LOOKS GOOD. BY TUE AFT...UL TROF SWINGS THROUGH RESULTING IN BUILDING HEIGHTS AND WARMING TEMPS. EXIT OF TROF ALLOWS SFC HIGH TO PUSH E AND BE OVHD TUE NIGHT. HIGH ASSOC WITH VERY DRY AIR SO CLR SKIES AND GOOD RAD NIGHT WILL RESULT. SFC HIGH OVHD THRU WED NIGHT THEN IT PUSHES OFFSHORE FRI AS NEXT WEATHER FEATURE...COLD FRONT OVER THE GREAT LAKES...STARTS TO SINK SWARD TOWARD CWA. ONLY SCT/BKN CLDS WILL REACH CWA BY FRI. MMARGRAF .LWX... DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE.
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:24 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A tornado damaged barns and downed trees along its 5 mile rural path.
Trees were downed in Malcolm and Nanjemoy.
Trees were downed in Wallville, St. Leonard, and Dunkirk.
Trees were downed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maryland in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Maryland, 2002Warnings in Maryland, May 2002
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: 5297980, 5297981, 5297982, 5297983.