EF-1 tornado caused destruction in Baltimore area, NWS surveyors confirm

An EF-1 tornado with wind gusts of 110 mph caused damage in Baltimore and Dundalk on Friday, May 16, according to National Weather Service (NWS) surveyors.

The tornado touched down in Federal Hill and lifted in Dundalk between 5:50 p.m. and 6 p.m. Numerous trees and power lines were toppled, with some cars smashed. 

"There's my car, crushed by a tree," said Jeff Finucane, a Federal Hill resident. 

"My husband looked out the window and saw this 80-foot pine tree swaying in the air, and not even 10 minutes later it came crashing down," said Dundalk resident Candice Fulton. 

The tornado also tore multiple roofs off buildings, including the Merritt Club of Canton, and portions of apartment complexes in Dundalk.

Surveyors followed the storm damage along a corridor from Federal Hill to Canton, to Brewer's Hill, Dundalk, and Sparrows Point. 

"I saw it get really super dark, and I saw clouds that looked like it could have been a tornado, but I'm not a weather person, so I don't know," said Dorothea Woods, a Dundalk resident.  

Howard, Carroll, and Baltimore counties, and Baltimore City sustained the most damage from the thunderstorms, Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) officials said. 

Storms left 74,000 Baltimore-area residents without power 

During a media briefing on Friday night, city authorities announced they were dealing with widespread damage, outages, and road closures.

"In terms of trees down, we have approximately 20, with about 8 roads completely blocked. Our forestry crews have been working on that since the start of this storm. We look to have those streets opened up by sometime later this evening," a member of the Office of Emergency Management for Baltimore City said. 

According to BGE, on Friday night, the storms left 74,000 customers without power as equipment was completely damaged throughout central Maryland. 

BGE asks customers to report outages:

• Online at BGE.com
• On BGE's free mobile app, available at the Apple Store or Google Play
• Via text message to 69243  
• Or by phone, by calling 877-778-2222