National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Active Weather for the West, Warming in the East

The potential for heavy snow at higher elevations in the western U.S. will continue for many spots through the weekend. In the meantime, the eastern half of the continental U.S. will transition to above normal temperatures ahead of a pair of cold fronts next week that will bring readings back to closer to normal as we approach Thanksgiving Day. Read More >

Maugansville EF-1

...TORNADO CONFIRMED NEAR MAUGANSVILLE IN WASHINGTON COUNTY MD...

LOCATION...MAUGANSVILLE MARYLAND
DATE...17 MAY 2011 
ESTIMATED TIME...810 PM TO 815 PM EDT
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF1
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...90 TO 100 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...200 YARDS 
PATH LENGTH... 2.1 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON...39.681N / 77.747W 
ENDING LAT/LON...39.701N / 77.777W
* FATALITIES...0
* INJURIES...0

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS
STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...
BASED ON EYEWITNESS REPORTS AND A GROUND SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC IN
COORDINATION WITH WASHINGTON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND
MAUGANSVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT...A TORNADO HAS BEEN CONFIRMED IN
MAUGANSVILLE IN WASHINGTON COUNTY MD ON 17 MAY 2011.

THE TRACK BEGAN JUST SOUTH OF WELLSPRING ROAD AND JENNIFER LANE
AND EXHIBITED A CONTINUOUS DAMAGE PATH NORTHWEST TO NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF GREENCASTLE PIKE AND CEARFOSS PIKE. NUMEROUS
SNAPPED AND UPROOTED TREES WERE ENCOUNTERED ALONG THE TRACK.
SEVERAL SHEDS AND OUTBUILDINGS WERE OVERTURNED OR DESTROYED. A
GARAGE DOOR WAS BLOWN INWARD ON A DETACHED GARAGE...LEADING TO
FAILURE OF THE ROOF STRUCTURE.

NEIGHBORHOODS BOUNDED BY GARDEN VIEW ROAD...MAUGANSVILLE ROAD AND
CEARFOSS PIKE WERE ESPECIALLY HARD-HIT. NUMEROUS HARDWOOD AND
SOFTWOOD TREES WERE SNAPPED...REQUIRING REMOVAL BY COUNTY SNOW
PLOWS. SOME SMALLER SOFTWOOD TREES WERE COMPLETELY STRIPPED OF
THEIR BRANCHES. A RECREATIONAL VEHICLE TRAILER WAS BLOWN ONTO ITS
SIDE AND MOVED 45 FEET INTO A NEIGHBORING YARD. SHINGLE DAMAGE WAS
VERY COMMON...AND A STONE 19TH-CENTURY HOME SUFFERED ROOF UPLIFT.

THE WORST DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 90 TO 100
MPH...RATING THIS TORNADO EF-1 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE.

APPRECIATION IS EXTENDED TO WASHINGTON COUNTY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT...THE MAUGANSVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE PUBLIC FOR
THEIR ASSISTANCE AND COOPERATION DURING THE SURVEY.