A line of thunderstorms with winds up to 78 MPH, hail, and frequent lightning moved from northwest to southeast across Maryland during the afternoon and evening of the 26th. Widespread damage was reported from downed trees and power lines in addition to lightning strikes.
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.
A line of thunderstorms with winds up to 78 MPH, hail, and frequent lightning moved from northwest to southeast across Maryland during the afternoon and evening of the 26th. Widespread damage was reported from downed trees and power lines in addition to lightning strikes. Over 150,000 customers lost power as a direct result of the storms. In Washington County, numerous trees and power lines were downed, especially across the western and central portion of the county. The hardest hit areas included Hancock, Williamsport, Fairplay, Pleasant Valley, Sharpsburg, Boonesboro, and Mt. Edna. A wind gust of 65 MPH was recorded by a spotter in Sharpsburg. House fires caused by lightning were reported in Clear Spring and Brunswick. In Frederick County, downed trees and power lines blocked 19 roads countywide, including Gapland Road in Burkittsville, Route 144 just south of Interstate 70, and Route 40 just west of Middletown. Other areas where damage was reported included Gapland, Emmitsburg, Brunswick, Petersville, Rosemont, Knoxville, and Frederick. A wind gust of 60 MPH was recorded in Point of Rocks. A gust of 52 MPH was recorded in Frederick. A garage in Knoxville burned to the ground after being struck by lightning. In Carroll County, several trees and power lines were downed. A roof under construction was damaged at Carrolltown Center in Eldersburg. In Westminster, West Main Street was closed for several hours by a live downed power line. In Baltimore County, numerous downed trees and power lines caused power outages, including in the community of Garrison. Twenty trees were downed in the city of Baltimore. In Howard County, numerous downed trees and power lines were reported. In Montgomery County, a 59 MPH wind gust was recorded in Damascus and Potomac. A wind gust of 57 MPH was reported in Rockville. Downed trees and power lines were reported on Route 104 north of Laytonsville in addition to several other roads across the county. Communities reporting damage included Gaithersburg, Bethesda, Wheaton, Germantown, Takoma Park, Burtonsville, Silver Spring, Damascus, Rockville, Potomac, and Montgomery Village. In addition, over a dozen buildings were struck by lightning, including a barn in Poolesville and apartment buildings in Silver Spring and Gaithersburg. Unknown injures were reported at house fires in Potomac and Aspen Hill. In Anne Arundel County, hundreds of trees and power lines were felled. Damage was reported in Severna Park, Arden on the Severn, Cape St. John, Annapolis, Glen Burnie, Odenton, and Millersville. One woman and five children were trapped in a van when trees came down on it in Crofton. A wind gust of 49 MPH was recorded at BWI Airport. In addition, a lightning strike started a fire which burned an unoccupied trailer home to the ground in Severna Park. In Prince George's County, officials were quoted as saying parts of the county looked like a "war zone" after numerous trees and power lines were downed onto roads and structures. In Bowie, numerous homes, porches, sheds, cars, and fences were damaged. Over 60 dump truck loads of debris were removed from the city following the storm. So many trees came down on the Whitemarsh Park nature trail that it was closed for weeks. In addition, damage was reported in Lanham, Hyattsville, Bladensburg, and Beltsville where a 78 MPH gust was recorded. A power line was downed onto the Capitol Beltway in Greenbelt and electrified a guard rail which led to the closure of the road for several hours. Penny sized hail fell in Brandywine. In Charles County, trees and power lines were downed in Bryantown. Penny to quarter sized hail fell in Ironsides and penny sized hail was reported in Waldorf. In Calvert County, numerous trees and power lines were felled. The hardest hit communities included Dunkirk and North Beach. In St. Mary's County, power poles were downed in Wicomico Shores.
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 Aug 26, 2:00 PM EST, 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 300 PM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003 SHORT TERM (TONIGHT-WED) ...SVR TSTM WATCH FOR ENTIRE MD AND NRN VA/DC UNTIL 8PM EDT... TONIGHT...LATEST RDR IMAGERY SHOWS LINE OF STORMS EXTENDING FROM NEAR HARRISBURG TO CUMBERLAND RACING TO THE SE ABT 40 KTS. SOME POTENTIAL FOR WIND DAMAGE GIVEN FAST MOVEMENT BUT AREA WAS NOT ABLE TO RECOVER TOO MUCH FROM MORNING ACTIVITY. THIS LINE COULD INTENSIFY THIS EVENING AS IT APPROACHES THE DC METRO WHERE TEMPS WERE ABLE TO CLIMB BACK TO NEAR 90 AFTER MORNING RAIN. IR IMAGERY SHOWS ANOTHER COMPLEX EVOLVING NEAR CHICAGO ATTM. THIS ONE MAY REACH US PERHAPS IN THE WEE HRS OF THE MORNING IF IT IS ABLE TO SURVIVE. GIVEN WNW FLOW STORMS LIKELY TO TRACK ACROSS THE NRN HALF OF THE CWA WITH MOST THE ACTIVITY REMAINING NORTH OF PETERSBURG WV /MANASSAS TO ADW LINE. TOMORROW... SFC FRONT APPROACHES THE MASON/DIXON LINE WITH MORE STORMS AND CHANCE OF SVR WX. .LONG TERM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY... GENERALLY FLAT FLOW ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH FRIDAY. THEN CLOSED LOW OVER CANADA DIGS SOUTH...WITH TROUGH EXTENDING INTO THE PLAINS BY THE WEEKEND. UNSETTLED WEATHER EXPECTED THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD AS A COUPLE OF COLD FRONTS MOVE INTO THE AREA. THE FIRST FRONT SHOULD MOVE INTO THE SOUTHERN ZONES WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SOME DRIER AIR EXPECTED TO MOVE IN FROM THE NORTH...MAINLY IN THE MID AND UPPER LEVELS ON THURSDAY. WILL MAKE SLIGHT CHANGE FROM THE PREVIOUSLY DRY FORECAST ON THURSDAY WITH SURFACE HIGH CENTERED TO THE NORTHEAST. WILL ADD GHOST POPS TO GRIDS. EASTERLY FLOW BECOMES SOUTHEAST/SOUTH EARLY FRIDAY...WITH MOISTURE DEPTH AND TEMPERATURES ON THE INCREASE. NEXT COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA ON SATURDAY. SOME TIMING ISSUES NOTED WITH THIS FRONT. THE COMPROMISE BRINGS THE FRONT SLOWLY THROUGH ON MONDAY...WILL KEEP CHANCE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY AND TAPER TO SLIGHT CHANCE ON TUESDAY. .LWX... DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE. MARINE...NONE.
DCZ001-MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ021-025>031-036>042- 050>057-WVZ048>055-271000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 1100 AM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MARYLAND WEST OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND EAST OF GARRETT COUNTY...THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA...NORTHERN VIRGINIA...THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL SHENANDOAH VALLEY...AND THE EASTERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE. THE AREAS MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE SEVERE WEATHER ARE THE BALTIMORE AND WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREAS NORTH TO THE PENNSYLVANIA BORDER...AND THE NORTHERN SHENANDOAH VALLEY. FURTHER TO THE SOUTH...SEVERE WEATHER IS ALSO POSSIBLE BUT IT IS EXPECTED TO BE MORE ISOLATED IN NATURE. STRONG DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY RISK FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON...BUT LARGE HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE. THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR SEVERE WEATHER TODAY WILL BE BETWEEN 2 PM AND 9 PM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE AGAIN POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY ACROSS THE AREA. THERE IS A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY ACROSS THE AREA. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED BY THIS AFTERNOON. LFR/MANNING
DCZ001-MDZ003-004-009-013-VAZ028-030-031-040>042-051>054-WVZ052-053- 261600- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 1020 AM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003 A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTEND FROM NORTH CENTRAL MARYLAND TO EXTREME NORTHERN VIRGINIA. THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTHEAST INTO THE WASHINGTON DC METRO AREAS THROUGH NOON. SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...BRIEF HEAVY DOWN POURS...AND SMALL HAIL. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/ER/LWX
DCZ001-MDZ009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ053-054-261730- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 1150 AM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003 THE LEADING EDGE OF A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTEND FROM NORTH CENTRAL MARYLAND TO EXTREME NORTHEASTERN VIRGINIA. THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE WASHINGTON DC METRO AREA THROUGH 1 PM. SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS UP TO 35 MPH...BRIEF HEAVY DOWN POURS...AND SMALL HAIL. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/ER/LWX
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
122 PM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1117 AM STERLING VA WIND DAMAGE
08/26/03 LOUDOUN NUMEROUS TREES DOWN.
REPORTED BY LOUDOUN
COUNTY EMA.MDZ002-003-WVZ048>051-055-261930- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 240 PM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003 AT 2:40 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED APPROACHING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM NEAR MORGANTOWN....NORTHEAST TO BEDFORD PENNSYLVANIA...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 45 MPH. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE AS THEY REACH EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA...AND WESTERN MARYLAND...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THE COMMUNITIES OF CUMBERLAND...FROSTBURG...BAYARD...BERKELEY SPRINGS...FORT ASHBY...KEYSER...MOOREFIELD...PETERSBURG...PIEDMONT...RIDGELEY... ROMNEY AND MATHIAS MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS BETWEEN 3:00 PM AND 4:30 PM. RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT IN CASE WARNINGS ARE ISSUED. ROGOWSKI
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 75 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:20 UTC.
15 thunderstorm wind, 4 lightning, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous trees and power lines were downed.
A house caught fire after being struck by lightning.
A 65 MPH wind gust was recorded.
Trees were downed onto several roads.
Several trees and power lines were downed.
A wind gust of 59 MPH was measured in Damascus and Potomac. Trees and power lines were downed across the county.
Several structures caught fire after being struck by lightning.
A garage burned to the ground after being struck by lightning. The time was estimated.
Numerous trees were downed.
A wind gust of 60 MPH was measured.
Numerous trees and power lines were downed.
A wind gust of 78 MPH was recorded along with widespread tree damage.
Twenty trees were downed.
Numerous trees and power lines were downed.
Hundreds of trees and power lines were downed.
A mobile home burned to the ground after being struck by lightning. The time was estimated.
Numerous trees and power lines were downed.
Penny sized hail fell.
Trees and power lines were downed.
Penny sized hail fell.
Power poles were downed in Wicomico Shores.
Penny to quarter sized hail was reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maryland in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, August 2003
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: 5335778, 5335779, 5335780, 5335861, 5335863, 5335865, 5335866, 5335860, 5335864, 5335862, 5335867, 5335868, 5335869, 5335870, 5336195, 5336196, 5336198, 5336197, 5336199, 5336200, 5336201, 5336202.