GLENELG, Md. — Preliminary reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show a tornado touched down Thursday afternoon in this Howard County community.
NOAA officials reported a debris ball signature "coincident with FAA TDWR BWI base velocity" and credible video from the area led them to confirm the tornadic event. The Federal Aviation Administration's Terminal Doppler Weather Radar at Baltimore-Washington International Airport shows the speed and direction of a storm, pinpointing potential twisters.
The touchdown happened at 3:22 p.m. about 9 miles west of Ellicott City, Maryland. Glenelg has about 2,000 residents.
It was the second tornado in the county in about a week. An EF-1 tornado struck May 23 in the Clarksville area about 5 miles from this Thursday's tornado.
“Today, our cleanup work continues. We are just finishing our efforts regarding last week’s tornado. and we expect to complete our new cleanup efforts over the next week,” Kris Jagarapu, Howard County's Bureau of Highways chief, said Friday.
About 60 members of his crew are working to clear roads of toppled trees and downed branches.
About 700 customers remained without power as of midday Friday, according to Baltimore Gas and Electric's outage map.
► MAY 31: A break from the storms Friday, a few storms this weekend
► MAY 24: EF-1 tornado confirmed in Columbia, Md.
► MAY 23: 3 serious tornadoes have hit DC in past 50 years. 2 on same day
The National Weather Service dispatched a team Friday to determine the extent of the damage and the EF scale of Thursday's tornado but has not released additional information yet.
Click here to watch an incredible video from near the location of the tornado.
Aerial footage of Glenelg showed a tree that had crashed into a home on Edgewoods Way. It also depicted a fairly clear path of trees snapped from the tornado.
The May 23 EF-1 tornado, exactly one week before, touched down at about 3:30 p.m. in Clarksville and traveled east for 5.5 miles to Columbia. A tree fell into a house, and a nearby office building lost its roof in that storm.
One person was hurt.
