A radar scan of a tornado-warned supercell thunderstorm moving from West Virginia into Maryland on Monday evening. (Courtesy RadarScope) The National Weather Service sent teams to investigate whether tornadoes touched down in West Virginia and Maryland during a severe weather outbreak on Monday evening. Meteorologists confirmed an EF-1 tornado with a peak wind of 90 mph touched down in Ransom in Jefferson County, West Virginia, which is about 6 miles west of Harpers Ferry. The tornado had a path length of 1.8 miles and a wide of 125 yards. It was on the ground from 6:27 p.m. to 6:32 p.m. Monday. NWS forecaster Luis Rosa said meteorologists at the weather service’s Sterling office tracked a thunderstorm with a strong rotation signature on radar through the Ranson area between around 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Monday. The storm prompted a tornado warning for parts of Jefferson County, as well as portions of Washington County in Maryland and Loudoun County in Virginia. “For those in the direct path of a tornado touchdown, flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter,” the warning read. “Damage to roofs, siding, and windows may occur. Mobile homes may be damaged or destroyed. Tree damage is likely.” Emergency operators received at least five reports of storm damage scattered between Ranson and Martinsburg, including a roof blown off a mobile home:
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A lumber business in Ranson suffered structural damage:
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The NWS is still investigating potentially tornadic damage from a separate storm that later affected Frederick and Carroll counties Monday, downing trees and wires in Libertytown, though Rosa said impacts in those areas were less severe than out west. Elsewhere, a tornado that struck Virginia’s Northumberland County Monday near the Chesapeake Bay destroyed one home and severely damaged a few others. But no one was injured. More storms struck the D.C. region Tuesday afternoon, mainly east of the Interstate 95 corridor from the District south to Richmond. WTOP’s Acacia James and Storm Team4’s Lauryn Ricketts contributed to this report.
Hot, humid week ahead for DC area with severe storm risk
A dangerous heat wave will grip the D.C. area through Thursday, with highs in the mid to upper 90s and heat index values between 100 and 105.
Hot and humid conditions are expected through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service, which said to expect daily thunderstorm chances and a risk of severe thunderstorms.
7News Meteorologist Eileen Whelan told WTOP that most of Tuesday will stay dry, but a few late-day thunderstorms are possible, especially north and east of D.C. as storms drift south from Pennsylvania. Any storm could produce damaging wind gusts and hail, but Whelan reiterated "storm chances are low" on Tuesday.
Due to a lack of air conditioning, Parkdale High School in Riverdale, Maryland, closed early at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Prince George's County Public Schools said in a social media post.
