Maryland 1995 Tornadoes

(Another big year)

Summary by Barbara McNaught Watson

Warning Coordination Meteorologist

Baltimore-Washington Forecast Office

National Weather Service/NOAA

Total number of tornadoes for 1995 = 24 (a new record)

Average number of tornadoes since 1950 = 4 per year (3.74 to be exact)

Number of tornado related deaths = 0

Number of tornado related injuries = 5 (all in P.G. County)

Total estimated property damage = 8,680,000 dollars

Tornado statistics by County for 1995:

Anne Arundel County had 3 tornadoes

1) Oct. 5 in Odenton/Glen Burnie

Strength = F1, Path = 6 miles, Damage = 250K

2) Oct. 5 near Arnold

Strength = F0, Path = .5 miles, Damage = 1K

3) Oct. 14 in Arnold

Strength = F1, Path = 3.8 miles, Damage = 60K

Baltimore County had 2 tornadoes

1) July 6 near Monkton

Strength = F0, Path = .1 mile, Damage = 5K

2) July 24 near Monkton - Hereford

Strength = F1, Path = 2 miles, Damage = 100K

Carroll County had 2 tornadoes

1) Oct. 14 near Westminister

Strength = F0, Path = 1 miles, Damage = 1K

2) Oct. 21 in Taneytown

Strength = F0, Path = .5 mile, Damage = 5K

Charles County had 1 tornado

1) Oct. 5 near Grayton/Ironside

Strength = F1, Path = 1.5 miles, Damage = 75K

Frederick County had 2 tornadoes

1) Oct. 21 near Thurmont

Strength = F0, Path = .62 mile, Damage = 7K

2) Oct. 21 in Libertytown

Strength = F1, Path = 1.2 miles, Damage = 15K

Harford County had 2 tornadoes

1) Oct. 21 in Aberdeen

Strength = F0, Path = .5 mile, Damage = 30K

2) Nov. 11 near Dublin

Strength = F0, Path = .5 mile, Damage = 25K

Howard County had 1 tornado

1) July 6 near West Friendship

Strength = F0, Path = .1 mile, Damage = 75K

Montgomery County had 1 tornado

1) Sept. 22 in Cloverly

Strength = F1, Path = .4 mile, Damage = 25K

Prince Georges County had 2 tornadoes

1) May 18 in Cheverly; there were 2 people injured by debris

Strength = F1, Path = .3 mile, Damage = 2 Million

2) Oct. 5 in Temple Hills; there were 3 people injured by debris

Strength = Strong F2, Path = 2.5 miles, Damage = 5 million

Talbot County had a tornado

1) May 18 near Cordova

Strength = F2, Path = 10 miles, Damage = 1 Million

St. Marys County had 6 small tornadoes

1) July 27 near Hollywood

Strength = F0, Path = .5 mile, Damage = 15K

2) Aug. 6 near Patuxent Naval Air Station

Strength = F0, Path = .3 mile, Damage = 0

3) Oct. 5 near in Whites Point Beach

Strength = F1, Path = .75, Damage = 5K

4) Oct. 27 near patuxent Naval Air Station

Strength = F0, Path = .5, Damage = 0

5) Nov. 11 near Hollywood

Strength = F0, Path = .8 mile, Damage = 75K

6) Nov. 11 near Patuxent Naval Air Station

Strength = F0, Path = .1 mile, Damage = 5K

Worcester County had a tornado

1) Nov. 11 near Snow Hill

Strength = F0, Path = .5 mile, Damage = 5K

Is the weather changing in Maryland?

Records kept since 1950 suggest that Maryland averages less than 4 tornadoes per year. Yet since 1991, the record for total tornadoes in a year in the State has been broken three times with the latest record set in 1995 with 24 tornadoes.

1991 = 1 tornado; 1992 = 13 tornadoes; 1993 = 6 tornadoes

1994 = 21 tornadoes; 1995 = 24 tornadoes

Why are the number of tornadoes increasing? Two big factors are an increases in population and the influence of the media. More people means more homes and property to get hit and more people to witness the tornadoes. Because of the media, more people are reporting tornado damage to the National Weather Service. This means that our records are getting more accurate to what really is occurring each year. It is likely that a more realistic annual tornado average for Maryland is around 9 or 10 tornadoes. That still makes 1995 a bumper crop. Our records only go back to 1950 and climate cycles are much longer than that. Therefore, it can not be determined if this cycle is out of the ordinary. We are definitely in an active weather cycle and thereby more tornadoes are occurring, but this does not necessarily mean a permanent change to the weather pattern over Maryland has occurred.