Maryland, 2002

Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, May 2, 2002

May 2, 2002 · NWS LWX · 12 events in 4 counties and zones

Thunderstorms with large hail, heavy downpours, and gusty winds developed across central Maryland during the early afternoon. In Montgomery County, dime to golf ball sized hail damaged vegetation and dented roofs and cars in Darnestown, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Derwood, Olney, and Brookeville.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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
0
Property damage
$10,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

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 large hail, heavy downpours, and gusty winds developed across central Maryland during the early afternoon. In Montgomery County, dime to golf ball sized hail damaged vegetation and dented roofs and cars in Darnestown, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Derwood, Olney, and Brookeville. In Gaithersburg, high winds downed trees and power lines. One tree fell onto a day care center on Oakmont Street. Another tree fell onto a house on Hutton Street. Trees and power poles were downed onto Route 28 near Muddy Branch Road. About 2500 customers lost power as a direct result of the storm. In Howard County, a wind gust of 62 MPH was recorded in Laurel and a gust of 46 MPH was reported in Ellicott City. Hail up to golf ball size fell in Columbia and Ellicott City. In Baltimore County, quarter sized hail was reported in the northern and western sections of Baltimore.

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 May 2, 1:55 PM EST, 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 2, 1:55 PM EST, 34 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
255 PM EDT THU MAY 2 2002

TOR WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ENTR FA UNTIL 9PM (01Z). AN AREA OF
SHRAS/TSRAS HAD MOVED INTO FA FM WV THIS AFTN. WL BE WATCHING SVR
AND FLSH FLOOD THREAT.

SHRAS/TSRAS WL BE LIKELY INTO THIS EVE AS CDFNT EXPECTED TO BE RIGHT
OVR THE FA AT 00Z. AMS DRIES OUT AFT 06Z BHND FRONT. WL BCM BREEZY
DUE TO GRADIENT BETW DEEPENING LOW PRES N OF THE AREA AND HIGH PRES
ADVANCING EWD AND CAA.

HIGH PRES AND DRY AMS WL MOV ACRS RGN FRI AND FRI NGT. CDFNT WL BCM
STNRY OVR CAROLINAS. SOME CI WL MOV INTO THE AREA LATE FRI NIGHT AS
NXT S/W APPCHS FM MIDWEST. LOW PRES ASSOCD W/THE S/W WL MOV E ALG
STNRY BDRY S OF FA. MOISTURE WL SPREAD N THRUT THE AREA ON SAT AS
LOW MOVES E THRU CAROLINAS. IN ADDITION...HIGH PRES WL MOV OFFSHORE
AND PUMP ATLC MOISTURE INTO RGN. WL ADD CHC OF RA TO AREA SAT AFTN.

FWC TEMPS AND 06Z MAV TEMPS WERE SIMILIAR AND SEEMED RSNBL.

ZONAL FLOW WL PREVAIL OVR RGN SAT NGT THRU SUN NGT. ANOTHER S/W WL
MOV THRU THE AREA MON AND MON NGT BRINGING CHC OF RA. UPR RDG
FCST TO BLD INTO RGN DAY/S 5 THRU 7.

.LWX...
DC...FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON FOR ZONE DCZ001.

MD...FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON FOR ZONES
MDZ002>007...MDZ009>011...MDZ013>014...MDZ016>018.

VA...FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON FOR ZONES
VAZ021...VAZ025>031...VAZ036>042...VAZ050>057.

WV...FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON FOR ZONES WVZ048>055.

ARTHUR

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 21 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:27 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Montgomery

When
May 2, 2:29 PM EST
Where
Montgomery County, Darnestown
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.100, -77.300

Golfball sized hail was reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When
May 2, 2:30 PM EST
Where
Montgomery County, Gaithersburg
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.133, -77.200

A large oak tree was downed onto a business and trees and power lines were downed onto Route 28.

Hail, Montgomery

When
May 2, 2:30 PM EST to 2:38 PM EST
Where
Montgomery County, Gaithersburg
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.133, -77.200

Dime to golfball sized hail was reported.

Hail, Montgomery

When
May 2, 2:35 PM EST
Where
Montgomery County, Rockville
Measured
0.8 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.083, -77.150

Dime sized hail fell.

Hail, Montgomery

When
May 2, 2:38 PM EST
Where
Montgomery County, Derwood
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.117, -77.167

Hail up to golf ball size fell.

Hail, Montgomery

When
May 2, 2:40 PM EST
Where
Montgomery County, Olney
Measured
1.5 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.150, -77.067

Walnut sized hail was reported.

Hail, Montgomery

When
May 2, 2:50 PM EST
Where
Montgomery County, Brookeville
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.183, -77.067

Golfball sized hail fell.

Hail, Howard

When
May 2, 2:53 PM EST
Where
Howard County, Clarksville
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.200, -76.883

Golfball sized hail fell.

Thunderstorm Wind, Prince George'S

When
May 2, 2:55 PM EST
Where
Prince George'S County, Laurel
Measured
54 kt (62 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.100, -76.850

A wind gust of 62 MPH was recorded. The time was estimated.

Hail, Howard

When
May 2, 2:55 PM EST
Where
Howard County, Columbia
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.233, -76.850

Hail up to golf ball size was reported.

Hail, Howard

When
May 2, 2:58 PM EST
Where
Howard County, Ellicott City
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.267, -76.800

Dime to quarter sized hail fell.

Hail, Baltimore City (C)

When
May 2, 3:10 PM EST to 3:18 PM EST
Where
Baltimore City (C) County, Baltimore
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.300, -76.617

Quarter sized hail fell.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Maryland in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, May 2002

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: 5297688, 5297689, 5297690, 5297691, 5297692, 5297693, 5297694, 5297695, 5297696, 5297697, 5297698, 5297699.