High Wind — Montgomery, Maryland

2003-09-18 to 2003-09-19 · Montgomery, Maryland

Wider weather episode

On September 18, 2003, Hurricane Isabel made landfall on the North Carolina Coast. Its wind field extended for hundreds of miles from the storm's center. As bad as it was across Maryland and Virginia, it could have been much worse. The air at the surface was relatively cool. Temperatures had been in the 60s during the day and the strongest winds came at night. Most areas saw wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph. However, wind sensors on building tops in and around DC recorded winds averaging 70 to 80 mph for an extended period of time at just a couple hundred feet off the surface. Surface winds were about half of that. The high winds gusts to 70 mph came with bands of showers that would mix down to the surface causing streaks of damage that sometimes appeared as though a tornado had moved through instead of a strong narrow ribbon of wind. Wind damage to structures was very limited. Wind damage to trees in the area was extensive and widespread. Soil moisture was high from previous rains making it easier for trees to uproot. Also, the trees were still in full canopy which acted like a sail to catch the wind. Trees fell on electrical and utility wires taking out power and phone. Trees fell on roads, cars, and homes. Allegany County was on the fringe of the storm. Higher terrain saw the most wind. Only 2,259 customers lost power during the storm and one house was damage when a tree fell on it. Carroll County had seven homes that had damage with one house losing part of its roof. In Frederick County, a State trooper was injured when a tree fell on his car in the storm and another was injured when a tree fell on him. Two homes had some damage and there were 40 road closures from trees falling on them. 28,892 customers lost power in the County. In Howard County, over 50% of the county lost power with 65,105 customers out. Five homes had major damage and another 8 had minor damages. In Montgomery County, the power was out to over 600 traffic signals. Come Saturday morning, 330 lights were still out with dense fog across the region combining to contribute to some serious accidents. Almost 240,000 customers lost power in the storm in Montgomery. The County reported 94 buildings destroyed, 23 with major damage and 32 with minor damage. In Washington County, 21,743 people lost power and 30 roads were closed due to downed trees. Hagerstown Airport reported wind gusts over 40 mph from 10 pm through 2 am with a peak gust of 52 mph at 1 am. After the storm, many injuries occurred from carbon monoxide poisoning from people improperly running generators in their houses. Other injuries were related to chain saws and the clean-up of debris. Two to four inches of rain fell across central and western Maryland. This was not enough to cause flash flooding but when added to previous rains, it was enough to bring the Potomac River out of its banks. Route 135 was closed due to river flooding in Luke. Pekin Bridge which was under construction experienced a washout. Officially, the river crested in Luke 1.7 feet below flood stage. Cumberland and Hancock crested just 4 feet below flood stage and Williamsport, 2 feet below flood stage. But flooding did occur along some stretches of the river. Minor Flooding occurred at Paw Paw where the river crested at 27.91 feet (Flood State is 25 feet) and moderate flooding occurred from Shepherdstown, WV down pass Point of Rocks, MD. At Point of Rocks, the river crested at 23.12 feet at 1:30 am on September 21. Flood stage is 16 feet. Frederick County reported three homes with moderate to major damage from flooding and two homes with minor to moderate damage. The flood waters also closed down a section of the C&O canal. The Monocacy River remained well below flood stage in Frederick. Seneca Creek saw minor flooding a Dawsonville from 9 am until 4 pm on the 19th reaching a crest less than a foot above bankful. As Seneca Creek was going down, the Potomac River was rising in Montgomery County as the flood crest moved down from Point of Rocks disrupting Ferry operations at Whites Ferry. Little Falls rose above flood stage at 7 pm on the September 21, crested at 11.33 feet (1.33 feet above flood stage) and fell back below flood stage at 9 pm that night.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5335415. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.