Several tornadoes ripped through the state yesterday as part of a weather system that killed one person in the Washington area, tore roofs off buildings, crushed cars, uprooted trees, collapsed a loading crane and disrupted public transportation throughout the region.
Officials from the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va., said they received reports of tornadoes touching down in Severna Park and near the Bay Bridge.
Meteorologist Luis Rosa reported extensive damage to homes in Severna Park by evening but said no damage to the bridge had been reported. Rosa said crews will investigate the damaged areas today to officially determine whether tornadoes hit.
Rosa said the highest wind gusts reached 78 mph in Frederick. The storm knocked out power for more than 500,000 people in the state, according to Katie Leahan, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency.
The severe weather system moved into the Washington area about 3 p.m. and sent a deluge of rain and heavy wind throughout Southern Maryland. The region, including Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Howard counties, remained under a tornado watch until 8 o'clock last night.
A Fairfax County, Va., police spokeswoman, Officer Shelley Broderick, said one person was killed in the Annandale area when a tree fell on a vehicle.
In Maryland, the mayor of Chesapeake Beach in Calvert County said a tornado briefly hit the city, sending trees into about 14 houses. Gerald Donovan said that the storm lasted about two minutes and that the occupants of the damaged homes would be placed in nearby hotels.
Traders Seafood Steak and Ale, one of the city's landmarks, was the hardest-hit building, he said.
The two-story vinyl and brick building had part of its roof blown off while 25 customers and 10 workers were inside. Four people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The roof landed on the wire of a utility pole about 25 feet away.
"All of a sudden, it was dark and a huge gust of wind came up," said John Hawkins, 19, a cook at the restaurant. "Everybody ran. The doors in the whole building blew open."
In Washington County, south of Hagerstown, high winds created damage in and around Boonsboro, Keedysville, Rohrersville and Sharpsburg.
One house reportedly collapsed, and there were numerous reports of homes damaged by falling trees, downed power lines and blocked roads, according to Verna Brown, Washington County's emergency management coordinator. She said some residents reported seeing a funnel cloud.
