Maryland, 2013

Flash Flooding in Maryland, January 30 to 31, 2013

January 30 to 31, 2013 · NWS LWX · 6 events in 5 counties and zones

S. with a surface low pressure center across the eastern Great Lakes.

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
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

A upper level trough was moving eastward and across most of the eastern U.S. with a surface low pressure center across the eastern Great Lakes. A cold front moved through the Mid Atlantic with dew points in the low 60s ahead of frontal passage. A strong low level jet on the eastern side of trough aided in strong winds reaching the surface. Flood and flash flood also occurred along or just ahead of the frontal passage.

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 Jan 30, 6:59 PM EST, 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 30, 6:59 PM EST, 38 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 30, 6:52 PM EST, 45 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 30, 7:04 PM EST, 33 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 30, 7:22 PM EST, 15 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 30, 7:32 PM EST, 5 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 30, 7:33 PM EST, 4 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jan 30, 7:34 PM EST, 3 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 30, 7:37 PM EST, 0 minutes before
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The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 37 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:38 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Frederick

When
January 30, 7:37 PM EST to 9:37 PM EST
Where
Frederick County, 2.09 mi E of Park Mills to 1.93 mi E of Park Mills
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
39.303, -77.381

There was a water rescue of a woman from atop her stranded car on a flooded portion of Peters Road. There were multiple road closures reported throughout the county.

Flash Flood, Montgomery

When
January 30, 8:20 PM EST to 10:20 PM EST
Where
Montgomery County, 1.26 mi ESE of Clarksburg to 1.18 mi ESE of Clarksburg
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Newspaper
Coordinates
39.222, -77.259

There was a water rescue completed near Frederick and Newcut Roads.

Flash Flood, Carroll

When
January 30, 8:55 PM EST to 10:55 PM EST
Where
Carroll County, 0.76 mi NNE of Carrollton to 0.7 mi NNE of Carrollton
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
39.561, -76.916

There was flooding at the intersection of Dutrow Road and Carrollton Road. Road was damaged.

Flash Flood, Frederick

When
January 30, 9:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where
Frederick County, 1.11 mi NNE of Sams Creek to 2.69 mi SE of Sams Creek
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
39.514, -77.091

There was a bridge under water near the intersection of Marston Road and Sims Creek Road.

Flash Flood, Howard

When
January 30, 10:15 PM EST to January 31, 12:15 AM EST
Where
Howard County, 0.41 mi NW of Florence to 0.48 mi WNW of Florence
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
39.324, -77.126

Shaffersville Road was flooded at Shaffers Mill Road.

Flash Flood, Anne Arundel

When
January 31, 2:00 AM EST to 4:00 AM EST
Where
Anne Arundel County, 0.74 mi N of Maryland City to 1.19 mi SW of Maryland City
Cause
Heavy Rain
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
39.111, -76.822

A homeless woman drowned as rains flooded a homeless camp in Maryland City near the Patuxent River. Also, there were two females extracted from their vehicle stuck in standing water at Brock Bridge Road and Whiskey Bottom Road.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Flash Flood, Anne Arundel2013-01-3126FemaleCampingDirect

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Maryland in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, January 2013

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 429670, 429671, 429672, 429673, 429674, 429685.