Thunderstorms with heavy downpours and wind gusts over 60 MPH moved through Central Maryland during the evening of the 6th. In Frederick County, trees were downed in Brunswick and Frederick.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
Thunderstorms with heavy downpours and wind gusts over 60 MPH moved through Central Maryland during the evening of the 6th. In Frederick County, trees were downed in Brunswick and Frederick. In Montgomery County, trees were downed on Wisconsin Avenue and the Beltway in Bethesda. Several trees were also downed in Woodsboro, Wheaton, Kensington, Forest Glen, and Silver Spring, some onto cars and buildings. Pea sized hail was also reported in Silver Spring and Forest Glen. Quarter size hail fell in Bethesda. A wind gust of 44 MPH was recorded in Clarksburg. A total of 2 inches of rainfall in Damascus caused small stream flooding. In Howard County, many trees were downed in West Friendship. A wind gust of 44 MPH was recorded in Laurel. In Anne Arundel County, several trees were downed north of Annapolis, including in the community of Brooklyn Park. In Carroll County, several trees were downed in Union Mills. In Baltimore County, widespread trees and power lines were downed in Baltimore. The hardest hit area was in the north side of town. Trees were also downed in Cockeysville and Hunt Valley. A wind gust of 43 MPH was recorded in Parkton. In Harford County, a downburst of winds estimated around 70 MPH downed numerous trees near Fallston in the community of Glen Elyn. The downburst struck Gunpowder Falls State Park west of Moores Road first, downing 30 to 40 trees up to 3 feet in diameter. Then the winds fanned out across a residential area and downed a few additional trees.
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 Jul 6, 1:45 PM EST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 245 PM EDT SUN JUL 6 2003 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT AND MON NO SIG CHGS TO CUR FCST PKG THRU MON. TYPICAL SUMMER PATTERN WITH AFTN HEAT AND HUMIDITY PROVIDING ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR CHC TSTMS IN FCST. HAVE PASSED CONV TEMP. MUCH MORE CU THAN YESTERDAY BUT ONLY STORM CELLS AS YET ARE S OF CHO IN ALBEMARLE AND NELSON. DEW POINTS OVER SRN CWA ARE IN THE LOWER 70S VERSUS UPR 60S OVER NRN CWA. STILL...JUST SEEMS TO BE A MATTER OF TIME. MDLS SEEM TO INDICATE A LTL MORE CLDS ARND TONIGHT...PERHAPS LEFT OVER DEBRIS FROM AFTN AND EVE CONVECTION. ETA AND GFS HAVE A SHORT WV MOVING THRU MON AFTN WHICH MAY PROVIDE A LTL MORE LIFT TO GET THINGS GOING. 40 POP LOOKS GOOD. MOS GUIDENCE CONTINUES TREND OF FCSTG MAX TEMPS TOO HIGH. WATSON .LONG TERM...MON NIGHT THRU SUN... MEDIUM RANGE MODELS COMING INTO BETTER AGREEMENT TODAY. ALL AGREE THAT THE SYNOPTIC PATTERN WILL CHANGE DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK. AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE THAT EXTENDS WESTWARD TO THE MID ATLANTIC REGION TODAY WILL GRADUALLY MOVE EAST AND ALLOW SHORTWAVE TROUGH TO PROGRESS/DEVELOP OVER THE AREA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THE TROUGH WILL MOVE OFF THE COAST ON SATURDAY AND THE RIDGE WILL EXPAND TO COVER THE REGION AGAIN SUNDAY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DISSIPATE SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET MONDAY EVENING. IT WILL BE HOT AND HUMID ON TUESDAY. DEWPOINTS ARE SLATED TO BE IN THE 60S AND 70S WITH A WEST WIND. MAV GUIDANCE SHOWS TEMPS IN THE UPPER 90S AT SOME LOCATIONS WHILE MET NUMBERS IN THE LOWER 90S. WILL TAKE A BLEND...WITH TEMPS IN SOME LOCATIONS IN THE MID 90. THIS COULD PRODUCE HEAT INDICES IN THE TRIPLE DIGITS AGAIN. HEAT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED FOR TUESDAY AFTERNOON. FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...A NUMBER OF WEAK IMPULSES WILL AFFECT THE AREA. THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA BY FRIDAY AS THE STRONGEST SHORTWAVE MOVES THROUGH. WILL CONTINUE A CHANCE POP THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. TEMPS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY EXPECTED TO BE BELOW CLIMO. DRY WITH NEAR NORM TEMPS AND RISING DEWPOINTS FOR SUNDAY. .LWX... DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE. MARINE...NONE. SHORT TERM...WATSON LONG TERM...CPW
DCZ001-MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ021-025>031-036>042- 050>057-WVZ048>055-071000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 1030 AM EDT SUN JUL 6 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 THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP BETWEEN NOON TODAY AND 8:00 PM. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE PRODUCING LOCALIZED DAMAGING WINDS CAPABLE OF DOWNING TREES AND POWER LINES. BRIEF HEAVY RAINS ARE ALSO LIKELY AND SOME AREAS MAY EXPERIENCE LOCALIZED FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND ROADWAYS WITH POOR DRAINAGE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY THIS AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. WATSON
VAZ036-037-062000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 305 PM EDT SUN JUL 6 2003 AT 305 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM OVER JONESBORO...MOVING EAST AT 5 MPH. THIS STORM IS PRODUCING A LOT OF RAINFALL GENERALLY OVER THE CENTRAL PORTION OF NELSON COUNTY. THE COMMUNITIES OF SCHUYLER AND WINTERGREEN WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM THROUGH 400 PM. BE AWARE OF THE HEAVY RAIN WHILE DRIVING THROUGH THIS REGION. RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT IN CASE A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS ISSUED. ROGOWSKI
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
348 PM EDT SUN JUL 06 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0340 PM BRYANT VA FLASH FLOOD
07/06/03 NELSON SMALL LANDSLIDE OVER
ROUTE 151. REPORTED BY
NELSON EOC.VAZ037-062100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 400 PM EDT SUN JUL 6 2003 AT 4:00 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM OVER COVESVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH...WHICH IS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN. RADAR INDICATED AN INCH OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF THE COUNTY SINCE 3:00 PM. THIS STORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHERN ALBEMARLE COUNTY THROUGH 5:00 PM...GENERALLY SOUTH OF THE CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE. RESIDENTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT IN CASE A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS ISSUED. A SIMILAR STORM PRODUCED A MUDSLIDE IN NELSON COUNTY AN HOUR AGO. ROGOWSKI
MDZ003-062115- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 415 PM EDT SUN JUL 6 2003 AT 4:15 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTH OF HANCOCK...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 5 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH. THIS STORM WILL AFFECT AREAS ALONG INTERSTATE 70...AND COMMUNITIES BETWEEN HANCOCK AND HAGERSTOWN THROUGH 5:15 PM. MOTORISTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SLOW DOWN AS VISIBILITY AND TRACTION WILL BE GREATLY REDUCED NEAR AND WITHIN THIS STORM. RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT IN CASE WARNINGS ARE ISSUED. ROGOWSKI
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 30 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:16 UTC.
10 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Small stream flooding was reported in Damascus.
Quarter sized hail fell.
Trees and power lines were downed. Buildings and cars were damaged.
Several trees were downed.
Several trees were downed.
Several trees were downed.
Many trees were downed.
Numerous trees and power lines were downed.
Numerous trees were downed.
Many trees were downed north of Annapolis.
Numerous trees were downed.
A wind gust estimated at 70 MPH downed numerous trees in Glen Elyn.
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, July 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: 5368564, 5368565, 5368566, 5368567, 5368568, 5368569, 5368570, 5368571, 5368572, 5368573, 5368574, 5368575.