On Thursday, April 22, 2021, a team from NOAA/NWS Baltimore/Washington Weather Forecast Office surveyed storm damage from storms near the town of Clements in St. Mary`s County MD, that occurred Wednesday, April 21, 2021.
The team found scattered-to-numerous instances of damage to trees and structures over a path of several miles. Hardwood trees were uprooted, with several snapped at the trunk`s base. A metal roof was partially torn from a barn and blown downwind approximately 550 feet from the barn structure.
Additionally, several well-seasoned farm outbuildings were demolished. All damage and debris generally fell linearly west-to-east, approximately to the storm`s heading. Doppler weather radar images from both the KLWX WSR-88D in Sterling, VA, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Terminal Doppler Weather Radar at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, depicted strong unidirectional radial velocities. There were no credible reports of a funnel cloud or tornado from eyewitnesses.
Therefore, it is concluded that the damage from the storm near Clements, MD, was likely non-tornadic, and emanated from a single thunderstorm cell that produced straight-line winds reaching an estimated 90 MPH. Straight-line wind damage from thunderstorms can frequently cause tornado-like damage in our region.
Visit St. Mary’s County Department of Emergency Services for more information on Emergency Preparedness at https://www.stmarysmd.com/es/beprepared/.
