Tornado Wind Speeds Hit 125 MPH On Path To Annapolis, Edgewater

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The tornado that hopscotched across Anne Arundel County when the remnants of Hurricane Ida battered the region Wednesday packed top winds of 125 miles per hour, the National Weather Service has confirmed.

The peak wind speed earned the storm a rating of EF-2 during the 11.5 miles it was on the ground with a maximum width of 200 yards.

No injuries or deaths were reported because of the tornado.

Local officials have declared a state of emergency after dozens of commercial and residential structures sustained damage from the twister.

On Friday, the National Weather Service released information on the tornado's path and wind speeds that ripped off roofs and siding, knocked down signs, toppled trees, brought down electrical wires and scattered debris.

"The remnants of Ida produced one of the strongest tornadoes in the past decade of Maryland's history," the National Weather Service wrote. "Only four other EF-2 or stronger tornadoes have occurred in the state in the past 10 years."

The tornado traveled northeast along a path through Anne Arundel County and the city of Annapolis. At 2:01 p.m. the tornado first touched down at Owensville, and at 2:23 p.m. it lifted back into the clouds 1 mile north of Annapolis.

Here's a glance at the path of Wednesday's tornado and what is known about its strength.

The first damage noted, and recorded touchdown point, was in southern Anne Arundel County, near the intersection of Sudley Road and Owensville Road. This included a large limb from a tree top over Sudley Road and several large cedar trees snapped along Owensville Road.

The tornado moved northeast across rural areas before crossing Mill Swamp Road. About a quarter of a mile east of the intersection with Dove Farm Road, dozens of trees and large branches were snapped and uprooted in a path from southwest to northeast as far as you could see in either direction.

The tornado intensified further as it moved into the South River Colony community. Homes near the intersection of Monarch Drive and Red Admiral Court were particularly hard hit by some of the strongest winds of the entire tornado path. Several had their roof damaged or removed.

The tornado then crossed South River Golf Links before moving into the campus that includes South River High School and the Center of Applied Technology South. There it damaged the upper parts of the football field grandstands and concessions stand, damaged the roof, and caused cosmetic damage to some of the upper portions of the Center of Applied Technology South. The schools were left structurally sound, and the staff and some students that were there, were able to shelter without injury.

The tornado crossed Central Avenue around 2:11 p.m. and moved into Edgewater, where it crossed Woodland Beach, Londontowne, and Edgewater Park. Dozens of trees and large branches were snapped, portions of 5 to 10 roofs were damaged. One home near the intersection of Millstone Drive and Oakwood Road had only damaged roof trusses remaining of its roof.

The NWS said the tornado crossed the South River and moved through western portions of the Annapolis at peak intensity with winds estimated at 125 mph at 2:20 p.m. Several trees were snapped along the path as it crossed Aris T. Allen Boulevard just east of the Annapolis Harbour Center shopping area.

It crossed Forest Drive at the intersection of Parole Street. Several homes there sustained roof damage, and one home lost its entire roof.

As it crossed the intersection of West Street and Lee Street, the most substantial structural damage was noted. Winds blew out a large portion of the west side cinder block wall of a warehouse. The roof with large metal trusses was largely removed.

A fast food restaurant had its sign entirely removed from its post. ... A strip mall across the street had its windows blown out and flat roof damaged. All the telephone poles and attached wires along this stretch of West Street were downed.

Additional residential roof damage occurred as the tornado moved north over Bowman Court. From here, the tornado crossed into Admiral Heights, with tree damage along Halsey Road and Cedar Park Road.

The tornado crossed Weems Creek and Rowe Boulevard, and then snapped several trees along Riverview Avenue.

Finally the tornado crossed US Route 50/301 a few hundred yards west of the Severn River Bridge, snapping trees on both sides of the highway. The final damage noted occurred at the end of Acorn Drive at the last residential property that sits on the shore of the Severn River. Several trees were snapped here.

The tornado dissipated on the shoreline, or as it crossed the Severn River. The survey team found no damage north of the Severn River.

Related:

• Annapolis Tornado: Dozens Of Homes, Commercial Buildings Damaged
• Tornado Damages Annapolis Businesses, South River Stadium