OTD IN 2019: EF1 tornado touches down in columbia
On this day in 2019, a powerful thunderstorm resulted in extensive straight line wind damage, as well as an EF1 tornado that struck Columbia in Howard County. The tornado had maximum winds of 95mph and was on the ground for approximately 5.5 miles, with a path width of between 150-250 yards wide.
The first evidence of tornadic damage was near the intersection of Maryland Route 108 and Brighton Dam Road, where several trees were uprooted, and snapped tree limbs were blown towards each other. The tornado moved quickly towards the southeast, where it uprooted additional trees between Angel Rose Court and Fairest Dream Lane. Behind houses on Mellow Wine Way, several small trees were blown down in multiple different directions. The next evidence of tornadic damage was near the intersection of Cedar Lane and Corina Ct, where several trees were uprooted and snapped, with one falling onto a house. Additional trees were uprooted on Harriet Tubman Lane near Caravan Court. A more concentrated area of damage was observed on Wayover Way, where several large trees were uprooted, one falling onto and splitting open a home, trapping one person who was injured by the falling tree. To the north of Wayover Way, a resident on Donleigh Drive recalls seeing tree debris blowing by the windows as the tornado passed just to the south. This was likely a result of the outer periphery of the tornadic circulation. One home on Cape Ann Drive also sustained minor roof damage. The tornado then impacted a grove of trees between Shaker Drive and Patuxent Woods Drive where many trees had their tops snapped off. It was in this shopping center where part of the roof to an office building was torn off before the tornado dissipated.
Tornado Track:
Aside from the tornado, other areas in Howard county, as well as northern Montgomery, northern Prince George's and Anne Arundel county experienced straight line wind gusts of 60-70mph, which caused trees and powerlines to fall. This included places like Savage, Elkridge, Laurel, Highland, etc. However, all of the damage was unidirectional, indicating straight line winds rather than tornadoes.
I personally recall this storm very well. I was living in Columbia/Elkridge at the time, and was a junior at Long Reach High School. I was staying late to get help on an assignment, and as I was leaving, I remember telling my teacher that if she planned on getting home before the storm, she should leave as soon as possible, otherwise, to plan on waiting it out at school because it was ahead of schedule and already showing signs of intensification. Less than 15 minutes after getting home, a tornado warning was issued. We had a few large limbs snapped in our neighborhood, but the tornado passed to our south.
