Lightning — Harford, Maryland

2000-07-14 · near Joppa, Harford, Maryland

Event narrative

A man with a cell phone was hit by lightning near a tree while walking down a sidewalk.

Wider weather episode

A cold front moved across the region during the evening of the 14th. Thunderstorms that developed ahead and along this front produced very heavy rainfall, frequent lightning, large hail, and winds in excess of 55 MPH. Across Baltimore County, heavy rain flooded several roads. In Baltimore, flooding was concentrated between Back River and Middle River where some stranded motorists had to be rescued. A total of 3.00 inches of rain fell in Towson and 1.78 inches fell in Perry Hall. Golfball sized hail fell in Rosedale and Baltimore and pea sized hail fell in Overlea. Several roads were also flooded in Anne Arundel County after up to 6 inches of rain fell. Rainfall totals included 5.98 inches in Edgewater, 2.81 inches in Crofton, 2.40 inches in Annapolis, 2.14 inches in Hillsmere, 1.86 inches in Davidsonville, and 1.67 inches in Owings Beach. In Prince George's County, roads in College Park and Cheverly were closed by high water. Rainfall totals included 2.76 inches at Harry Truman Drive, 2.53 inches at Lake Arbor, 2.29 inches in Landover, and 1.60 inches in Oxon Hill. Marble sized hail fell in Oxon Hill and pea sized hail fell in Suitland. In Montgomery County, a 41 MPH wind gust was recorded at Montgomery College and 10 feet high corn was downed near Germantown. Over an inch of rain fell in 25 minutes in Damascus. In Frederick County, 1.65 inches fell in Frederick. In Washington County, winds in excess of 55 MPH downed trees and power lines in Williamsport. Half dollar sized hail fell in Clear Spring and 3.07 inches of rain was reported in Sharpsburg. In Harford County, a 46 year old man who was walking down a sidewalk in Joppatowne with his cell phone was struck and killed by lightning near a tree. In Darlington, 15 cows taking shelter from the storm under a tree were killed by lightning. Two other cows were killed by a felled tree. A tree was also downed in Havre de Grace. In Fallston, lightning struck a garbage truck and sparked a fire which destroyed the vehicle. Across the northeast portion of the county, hail estimated at the size of a dime damaged $500,000 worth of crops. In Charles County, dime sized hail fell near Bryan's Road. Flooding was reported in Pomfret. Rainfall totals included 2.95 inches in Indian Head, 2.65 inches in La Plata, 2.55 inches in Pomfret, and 1.67 inches in Waldorf. In Calvert County, 1.6 inches fell in Dunkirk, Sunderland, and Huntingtown. In St. Mary's County, a dog tied to a tree in Avenue was killed when lightning struck the tree. Lightning damaged a home in Morganza and a sawmill in Charlotte Hall. Heavy rain flooded several roads across the county and downed a tree. A total of 3.40 inches of rain fell in Tall Timbers.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5163923. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.