Maryland, 2025

Flash Flooding in Maryland, July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025 · NWS LWX · 4 events in 2 counties and zones

An anomalously moist airmass with tropical moisture resided over much of Maryland on July 16th. This comes after several days of showers and thunderstorms, which left some areas with suppressed flash flood guidance.

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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

An anomalously moist airmass with tropical moisture resided over much of Maryland on July 16th. This comes after several days of showers and thunderstorms, which left some areas with suppressed flash flood guidance. Slow moving thunderstorms developed on remnant boundaries and terrain circulations before propagating eastward. These storms produced localized rainfall amounts of two to five inches.

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 Jul 16, 8:26 PM EST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 16, 8:26 PM EST, 1 hour 12 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 16, 4:33 PM EST, 5 hours 5 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
533 PM EDT Wed Jul 16 2025

ANZ530>543-DCZ001-MDZ008-011-013-014-016>018-504-506-508-
VAZ053>057-527-172145-
Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD-
Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD-
Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD-
Chesapeake Bay from North Beach to Drum Point MD-
Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA-
Tidal Potomac from Key Bridge to Indian Head MD-
Tidal Potomac from Indian Head to Cobb Island MD-
Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA-
Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor-
Chester River to Queenstown MD-Eastern Bay-
Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River-
Patuxent River to Broomes Island MD-
Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth
Island-District of Columbia-Cecil-Southern Baltimore-
Prince Georges-Anne Arundel-Charles-St. Marys-Calvert-
Central and Southeast Montgomery-Central and Southeast Howard-
Southeast Harford-Fairfax-Arlington/Falls Church/Alexandria-
Stafford-Spotsylvania-King George-
Central and Southeast Prince William/Manassas/Manassas Park-
533 PM EDT Wed Jul 16 2025

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Maryland portion of the
Chesapeake Bay, Tidal Potomac River, and I-95 corridor through
central Maryland, northern Virginia, and District of Columbia.

.DAY ONE...Tonight

A Flood Watch for potential flash flooding is in effect for much
of the area excluding southern Maryland and the Fredericksburg
area through midnight tonight.

A few severe storms with damaging wind gusts are possible this
evening.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday

A Heat Advisory is in effect from 11 AM until 8 PM Thursday for
much of the area.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Please relay any flood or severe thunderstorm reports to the
National Weather Service.

MDZ003>006-503-505-507-VAZ025>031-036>040-050-051-501-502-505>508-
526-WVZ050>053-055-172145-
Washington-Frederick MD-Carroll-Northern Baltimore-
Northwest Montgomery-Northwest Howard-Northwest Harford-Augusta-
Rockingham-Shenandoah-Frederick VA-Page-Warren-Clarke-Nelson-
Albemarle-Greene-Madison-Rappahannock-Orange-Culpeper-
Northern Fauquier-Southern Fauquier-Western Loudoun-
Eastern Loudoun-Northern Virginia Blue Ridge-
Central Virginia Blue Ridge-Northwest Prince William-Hampshire-
Morgan-Berkeley-Jefferson-Hardy-
533 PM EDT Wed Jul 16 2025

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of eastern West
Virginia, northern and central Virginia, and central and western
Maryland.

.DAY ONE...Tonight

A Flood Watch for potential flash flooding is in effect until
midnight tonight excluding Orange County.

A few severe storms with damaging wind gusts and large hail are
possible through this evening.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday

Heat index values around 100-105 are possible Thursday afternoon.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Please relay any flood or severe thunderstorm reports to the
National Weather Service.

MDZ501-502-509-510-VAZ503-504-WVZ501>506-172145-
Extreme Western Allegany-Central and Eastern Allegany-
Western Garrett-Eastern Garrett-Western Highland-Eastern Highland-
Western Grant-Eastern Grant-Western Mineral-Eastern Mineral-
Western Pendleton-Eastern Pendleton-
533 PM EDT Wed Jul 16 2025

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Allegheny Front
counties in western Maryland, eastern West Virginia, and Highland
County Virginia.

.DAY ONE...Tonight

A Flood Watch for potential flash flooding is in effect until
midnight tonight.

A few severe storms with damaging wind gusts and large hail are
possible this evening.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Please relay any flood or severe thunderstorm reports to the
National Weather Service.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 16, 9:20 PM EST, 18 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 16, 9:22 PM EST, 16 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 16, 9:26 PM EST, 12 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 16, 9:27 PM EST, 11 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 16, 9:31 PM EST, 7 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 16, 9:32 PM EST, 6 minutes before
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The radar

The Dover AFB radar (KDOX), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:38 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Harford

When
July 16, 9:38 PM EST to 10:38 PM EST
Where
Harford County, 0.53 mi W of Aberdeen to 0.95 mi SSW of Aberdeen
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
39.520, -76.180

Water rescues of several vehicles ongoing on West Bel Air Avenue. Water reported to be up to car windows.

Flash Flood, Harford

When
July 16, 9:40 PM EST to 10:40 PM EST
Where
Harford County, 0.8 mi SSW of Aberdeen Arpt to 1.31 mi SSW of Aberdeen
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
39.489, -76.183

Numerous vehicles (6-8) stuck in high water in 900 Block of Route 40. Water as deep as top of wheel wells. Water rescues by boat ongoing.

Flash Flood, Cecil

When
July 16, 9:45 PM EST to 10:45 PM EST
Where
Cecil County, 1.48 mi NNW of Belvedere to 1.75 mi NNW of Belvedere
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
39.620, -76.030

Belvidere Road was washed out due to water about one foot deep flowing across the road.

Flash Flood, Cecil

When
July 16, 9:45 PM EST to 10:45 PM EST
Where
Cecil County, 1 mi NNW of Charlestown to 0.25 mi W of North East
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
39.583, -75.989

Route 7 west of North East was closed due to water flowing across the road around 6 inches deep.

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 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, July 2025

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1264124, 1264125, 1264126, 1264128.