Flash Flood — Washington, Maryland

2018-05-15 · near Gapland, Washington, Maryland

Event narrative

Widespread and significant flooding ongoing throughout Southeastern Washington County as a result of torrential rainfall. Numerous roads closed, water rescues ongoing, partial washouts of roads, and water inside homes.

Wider weather episode

A cold front slowly sagged southward through Pennsylvania during the afternoon hours of May 15th. A line of storms spread ahead of this front, causing a widespread 1-3 inches of rain across North Central and Northeast Maryland. The western end of this line stalled, producing 3-6 inches of rain in a relatively short period of time in Frederick and extreme southeastern Washington Counties, prompting numerous water rescues and causing somewhat significant damage. The front stalled, and the next evening (May 16th), a second round of extreme rainfall struck much of the same area, with 3-6 inches of rain observed again in Frederick and southeastern Washington Counties. Renewed flooding ensued which continued into the morning hours of May 17th.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.4035, -77.6670)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 758068. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.