A cold front will stall near the Mississippi River Valley today with excessive rainfall bringing areas of flooding over parts of the region. Gusty winds and dry conditions will drive critical to extremely critical fire weather over portions of central and southern California through Thursday. Tropical Storm Watches have been issued for parts of the Florida Keys ahead of Tropical Cyclone Rafael. Read More >
...EF-1 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN MONKTON MARYLAND... Date...Friday, April 26, 2019 Estimated Time...319 to 323 PM EDT Maximum EF-Scale Rating...EF-1 Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...90 MPH Maximum Path Width...150 Yards Path Length...3 miles Beginning Lat/Lon...39.5647 N/76.6103 W Ending Lat/Lon...39.5934 N/76.5695 W * Fatalities...0 * Injuries...0 ...Summary... A storm survey was conducted by staff of the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington Weather Forecast Office in Sterling, Virginia, of damage resulting from a storm that occurred between 319 and 323 PM EDT on Friday, April 26, 2019, in Monkton, Maryland. The survey confirmed that an EF-1 tornado began at 319 PM EDT on Corbett Road between Monkton Farms Drive and Falls Road, and ended at 323 PM EDT near the intersection of Shepperd Road and MD-562/138 Troyer Road, resulting in intermittent damage mainly to softwood trees. This time was estimated from rotational velocity signatures evident on both KLWX Sterling National Weather Service Weather Surveillance Radar (88D) and TBWI FAA Terminal Doppler Weather Radar. Several area residents noted sudden, chaotic winds around 320 PM EDT. No concentrated or tornadic damage was found southwest or northeast of this location, although there was sporadic tree damage concluded to be from straight line winds throughout much of northeastern Baltimore County into northwestern Harford County. Most of the damage was to softwood (pine) trees. On Corbett Road, two softwood (pine) trees were snapped a third of the way up on the west side of the road, and fell toward the northeast. Across the street in a wooded area, a third tree (hardwood, birch) snapped halfway up and fell toward the east. A fourth tree (softwood, pine) just to the north snapped halfway up, and fell toward the south. The pattern of the tree damage was convergent in nature, implying a circulation reached the surface at this point. Other leaf and small branch debris was noted in the area. The damage was confined to a 100-yard wide path at this location. The tornado continued northeastward with a forward speed of 40 to 50 mph (estimated from TBWI radar), reaching the 2400 block of Monkton Road at 320 PM EDT. At this location, four pine trees snapped about halfway up, and fell toward the northeast; one small tree along the southeast side of the path snapped at the base and fell toward the southwest; two other pine trees snapped halfway up and fell toward the north or northwest. There were also numerous large limbs scattered around this area. Damage was confined to a path that expanded slightly in width to about 125 yards. The circulation reached JM Pearce Road just east of MD-138 Shepperd Road at 321 PM EDT. At least ten trees were snapped in a 150-yard wide path here. Three trees on the northwest side of the path fell toward the south or southeast, with the rest falling toward the northwest to northeast. All of the trees that fell were softwoods (mainly pines). At 322 PM, the tornado reached MD-138 Shepperd Road in the 2900 block. Over a dozen trees were snapped between the base and halfway up here. Additionally, half a dozen trees were topped. The trees that were snapped closer to the base were along and southeast of the roadway, and fell facing the northwest, north and northeast. The trees that had their tops snapped off were along the north side of the road, and blew south across the road onto adjacent properties. A house at a horse barn had two screens blown in toward the northeast, and the slide of a swing set on the property was torn off and blew toward the northwest. Steel barns on the property sustained no notable damage, and no shingles or siding were removed from the house. The last instance of tornadic damage was noted at the intersection of Shepperd Road and MD-562/138 Troyer Road. Several softwood trees were snapped here, as well, facing southwest, south and southeast. Residents in the area noted chaotic, sudden winds which lasted very briefly around 320 PM, and also noted the haphazard nature of the tree falls on their property (as opposed to everything blowing in one direction). Given the intermittent tree damage (snapped trees), and the fact that very little if any structural damage was noted, it is concluded that maximum wind speeds were 80 to 90 MPH. Above this speed is when most sturdy structures start sustaining notable damage, like substantial loss of shingles or siding, which was NOT noted anywhere along the path. We would like to extend our appreciation to area residents and county emergency management for helping coordinate and provide information for this survey. EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories: EF0...Weak......65 to 85 mph EF1...Weak......86 to 110 mph EF2...Strong....111 to 135 mph EF3...Strong....136 to 165 mph EF4...Violent...166 to 200 mph EF5...Violent...>200 mph The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to change pending final review of the event and publication in NWS Storm Data.