SMITH ISLAND, Md. — Residents of the small community of Rhodes Point on Smith Island, Maryland, are recovering after a waterspout came ashore during Thursday's severe weather.
Video and photos of the waterspout were shared on social media. In a video shot by Amy Somers, the waterspout is seen moving across the water before moving onto land and appearing to take the roof off of a building. The National Weather Service still needs conduct a survey to confirm whether a tornado struck the area, but posts on social media from people in the area showed some of the damage left behind.
Robert Joseph Jones, a volunteer firefighter with the Ewell Fire Department, also shared photos of some aftermath.
We are reaching out to law enforcement in the area to see if anyone was injured.
A storm report from the National Weather Service made note of a collapsed house on Smith Island at approximately 7:20 p.m. due to the waterspout.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says waterspouts fall into two categories: fair weather and tornadic.
"Tornadic waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water, or move from land to water. They have the same characteristics as a land tornado. They are associated with severe thunderstorms, and are often accompanied by high winds and seas, large hail, and frequent dangerous lightning," NOAA says on its website.
According to the latest census data, Smith Island is home to about 260 people. The remote island on the Chesapeake Bay is only accessible by boat or helicopter, and consists of three communities: Rhodes Point, Ewell and Tylerton.
Thursday's severe weather saw strong thunderstorms across the area with rain, wind and dangerous lightning across the D.C. region.
We're also monitoring strong storms again Friday afternoon and night. Storms Friday will produce locally heavy rain and briefly gusty wind, isolated severe storms cannot be ruled out. The greatest concern in storms that become severe would be damaging wind and small hail.