F1 tornado, Cobb Is, Maryland, May 22, 2001

1. F040 to 72 mph

   Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

2. F173 to 112 mphthis tornado

   Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

3. F2113 to 157 mph

   Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

4. F3158 to 206 mph

   Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

5. F4207 to 260 mph

   Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

6. F5261 to 318 mph

   Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

7. Unrated

   The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Rating

F1

Date

May 22, 2001

Touchdown

7:29 PM EDT (23:29 UTC)

Path length

1.8 miles (2.9 km)

Path width

100 yards (91 m)

Deaths

0

Injuries

0

Property damage

$30,000

County

Charles County

Touchdown point

38.270, -76.850

Lift-off point

38.280, -76.850

Record number

808

Thunderstorms that produced wind gusts in excess of 55 MPH, large hail, heavy downpours, frequent lightning, and isolated tornadoes crossed the area during the afternoon and early evening hours of the 22nd. In St. Mary's County, an F0 tornado, possibly a waterspout that came ashore, crossed the southern tip of Jutland Neck 2 miles southwest of St. Inigoes. The tornado snapped large trees and destroyed a shed just off Smith Creek on Jutland Drive. The tornado was 50 yards wide and was on the ground for 1/4 of a mile. Elsewhere across the county, high winds downed several trees and power lines. Communities affected included Compton, MIles Town, Clements, Ridge, Leonardtown, Morganza, and Hollywood. At the intersection of Chancellors Run Road and Route 235, downed trees blocked the road. In Clements, a large tree was downed onto a mobile home and severely damaged the structure. One person inside the home suffered a minor knee injury. Marble sized hail was reported in Hollywood. Dime sized hail fell at Ridge and Point Lookout. Hail of unknown size fell in Leonardtown. Rainfall totals included 1.91 inches in Hollywood and 1.43 inches in Oraville. In Charles County, a waterspout that formed over the Potomac River came ashore on Cobb Island. The tornado cut a path across the central portion of the island as it moved northeast. Then it crossed Neale Sound and moved into the community of Rock Point on the mainland before it dissipated. The 100 yard wide tornado was on the ground for 1.8 miles and was ranked as an F1. Numerous trees were downed onto roads, cars, utility lines, and homes. Minor damage was reported to buildings in a three block area around Potomac River Drive. In Waldorf, a wind gust of 75 MPH and golfball sized hail was reported. Trees were downed by high wind in Indian Head and in other locations across the county. In Calvert County, an F0 tornado was spotted by an observer at Patuxent Naval Station and Skywarn spotters crossing the southern tip of Solomon's Island. The tornado was estimated to be 50 yards wide and on the ground for 1 mile before moving offshore and dissipating. A spotter traveling west out of Solomons spotted a wall cloud around the same time. Elsewhere across the county, trees and power lines were downed by high winds. Communities affected included Prince Frederick, Huntingtown, Barstow, and Sunderland. In Prince George's County, trees and power lines were downed. Heavy rain caused a stream to overflow its banks and wash out a low-lying bridge on Iverson Street in Silver Hill. A car was found in the creek after the bridge washed away. Several basements in the vicinity were flooded. In Cheverly, an unoccupied recycling building partially collapsed from water damage. Rainfall totals included 2.13 inches in Oxon Hill, 1.90 inches in Glenn Dale, 1.82 inches at Harry Truman Drive, 1.81 inches in District Heights, and 1.60 inches in South Bowie. In Anne Arundel County, high winds downed trees in Arnold. After a heavy downpour, water backed up onto the Severn River Bridge. King George Street in Annapolis was closed by high water for 2 hours. Rainfall totals included 2.60 inches in Annapolis, 1.75 inches in Millersville, and 1.53 inches at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. In Montgomery County, minor stream flooding was reported a the intersection of Shady Grove Road and Interstate 370. Flooding was also reported at the intersection of Braddock Road and Interstate 495. Rainfall totals include 2.48 inches at the Potomac Water Filtration Plant, 2.42 inches in Potomac, 2.05 inches in Rockville, 1.82 inches in Olney and Bethesda, and 1.73 inches at Brighton Dam. In Howard County, a total of 2.41 inches of rain fell in Elkridge. In the city of Baltimore, rainfall totals included 1.83 inches at Fort McHenry, 1.80 inches at Inner Harbor, and 1.55 inches at Carroll Park. In Allegany County after a heavy downpour, a spotter reported streams overflowing their banks onto roads and property in Cresaptown and Rawlings. At Savage River Dam in nearby Garrett County, a total of 1.63 inches of rainfall was recorded.

A waterspout over the Potomac River came ashore on Cobb Island then dissipated at Rock Point.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down.

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 19:47 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Patuxent River Nas (NHK), 38 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 96 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 23:28 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

The live radar over the trackEvery 2001 tornado in MarylandEvery tornado in Maryland since 1950Warnings in force in Maryland nowThe forecast where you are

4 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.