Tropical Storm Dennis is expected to blow across Maryland today, bringing up to 8 inches of rain, 40-mph wind gusts, coastal flooding and the potential for tornadoes.
Gale warnings were in effect for the Delmarva beaches last night, with the brunt of the storm expected to hit this evening. A flash-flood watch is in effect for most of the state today, with a potential of 6 inches of rain in Baltimore and 8 inches in Western Maryland.
A tropical storm warning was issued at 5 p.m. yesterday for Baltimore and 12 Maryland counties bordering the Chesapeake Bay. A tornado watch is in effect today for Southern Maryland, Eastern Virginia and coastal waters of the Chesapeake Bay, although the center of the storm is expected to remain west of Frederick.
The tropical storm warning, Baltimore's first since 1995, is expected to remain in effect until tomorrow. After wandering off the North Carolina coast for the past week, Dennis moved ashore in North Carolina yesterday afternoon and dumped torrential rains through much of the eastern part of the state. Sustained winds for the storm were clocked at 70 mph, just short of hurricane force. Last night, maximum sustained winds decreased to about 50 mph.
No significant damage or injuries were reported, although flooding and scattered power outages were reported in several coastal counties.
The National Weather Service reported that the center of Dennis' huge eye crossed the Core Banks shortly before 5 p.m., just south of Cedar Island. It immediately began weakening as it turned northwest.
In Maryland, according to the National Weather Service, heavy winds and rain will whip the state.
"Anyone who lives in a low-lying or flood-prone area should definitely keep their eye on water levels," said Calvin E. Meadows, a forecaster at the National Weather Service office in Sterling, Va.
The first bands of heavy rain moved east across the state last night like a giant pinwheel. Dennis should continue to weaken as it moves along the eastern slopes of the Appalachian Mountains, with the center passing near Frederick.
Officials do not expect widespread damage, but local emergency management officials are monitoring the storm as they prepare for flooding, downed trees and scattered power outages.
Throughout the summer, Maryland officials have said it would take at least a tropical storm to reverse the region's worst drought since the Great Depression.
