Multiple tornadoes cause damage, injuries in Maryland

Sheri Walsh
·2 min read
UPI
Multiple tornadoes struck Maryland on Wednesday night, downing power lines and trees that trapped five people inside a crushed a house in Montgomery County, where there were "some minor injuries, but no loss of life." Photo courtesy of Montgomery County

June 5 (UPI) -- Multiple tornadoes struck Maryland on Wednesday night with several people trapped and injured in the town of Gaithersburg in Montgomery County.

A thunderstorm produced the first tornado around 6pm EDT near Leesburg, with other tornadoes hitting Darnestown, Poolesville, Olney, Columbia and Baltimore, causing damage and downing power lines and trees.

Fallen trees trapped five people in a crushed house in Gaithersburg, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer, who posted a photo of the damage on X.

"The wind was super loud and the rain was really hard," said Gaithersburg resident Mariela Cabanillas, who received a warning about the tornadoes hours earlier.

"We had a lot of good information about watches and warnings," added Piringer "It appears that most folks heeded the warning. Going forward, we hope everyone learns from this and has a plan."

"All in all we got very lucky," Earl Stoddard, assistant chief administrative officer for Montgomery County, told reporters.

"Tonight could have been much worse. The county definitely got lucky, but some of our residents did not," Stoddard wrote Wednesday night in a post on X.

"Some minor injuries, but no loss of life, thank goodness! Lots of tree damage, power lines down and at least one home totaled."

As quickly as the tornadoes struck Maryland, the threat had significantly diminished by 11pm EDT.

"The tornado threat for this evening remains for northeastern Maryland, but the remainder of the area is no longer under threat. Flash flood warnings are also in effect. Otherwise, expect a mild night," the National Weather Service wrote in a post on X.

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