Two Twisters Rip Through Maryland

Two tornadoes ripped through the Maryland suburbs of Washington yesterday, part of a weather system that sparked fires, spawned hail and flooded roads around the state.

Afternoon reports of severe weather in Charles and Prince George's counties were confirmed as tornadoes late last night by the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. No injuries were reported.

Closer to Baltimore, the weather service issued a tornado warning for northern Baltimore County shortly after 6 p.m. for about 40 minutes, advising people to take cover. Baltimore County police and fire departments had no reports of twisters touching down.

The first tornado hit at 2:09 p.m. in the Charles County town of St. Charles, northeast of La Plata, the weather service said. Six years ago this month, a tornado tore through La Plata and killed three people.

Related links

• Plane safe after lightning strike
• Possible Balto. Co. tornado to be investigated
• Maryland Weather: Wet until Wednesday

Weather officials estimated that yesterday's tornado, which touched down near Renner and Leonardtown roads, reached 80 mph, and the twister's path covered nearly two miles. Trees were snapped and uprooted.

The second tornado touched down at 2:37 p.m. at a water park in Chillum, west of Hyattsville in Prince George's County, the weather service said. The twister, which reached an estimated 100 mph and traveled a third of a mile, crossed a wooded area and field behind George E. Peters Seventh-day Adventist Elementary School, the weather service said.