EF-1 Tornado Confirmed In Bowie, MD On Tuesday

...NWS Damage Survey for Bowie MD Tornado Event Wednesday 
July 5 2022...

Rating: EF1 
Estimated Peak Wind: 90 mph 
Path Length: 1.0 mile
Path Width: 125 yards 
Fatalities: 0 
Injuries: 0

Start Date: Jul 5 2022 
Start Time: 531 PM EDT 
Start Location: 1 NW Bowie MD 
Start Lat/Lon: 38.9710/-76.7470

End Date: Jun 5 2022 
End Time: 534 PM EDT 
End Location: 1 NE Bowie MD 
End Lat/Lon: 38.9697/-76.7281

A supercell thunderstorm spawned a brief EF0 tornado just north 
of Bowie, MD in Prince Georges County late on Wednesday afternoon
July 5 2022 between 5:31 and 5:34 PM EDT. This supercell spawned 
along the Howard/Montgomery County line as a result of a remnant 
mesoscale convective vortex moving through the region which had 
moved through the Ohio Valley earlier in the day. It evolved into 
a cluster of cells initially before splitting off into an 
individual supercell that would develop rotation as it moved out 
of southeastern Montgomery County into northwestern Prince Georges
County. 

The tornado caused extensive tree damage in the Somerset
subdivision just north of Bowie, MD. There was also once incidence
where a tree had fallen on top of residence on Stafford Ln. The 
most concentrated areas of damage occurred between Stafford Ln. 
and Saber Ln. However, there were several other trees down in the 
area outside of the more concentrated tornadic damage,
particularly along Buckingham Drive perpendicular to White Marsh
Branch. At this location along Buckingham Drive, trees fell upon 
power lines, snapping several supporting utility poles.

The tornado initially touched down around Tarragon Ln. and tracked
eastward over the Bowie High School Annex before tracking into the
Somerset subdivision, where the majority of the damage was
observed. The tornado would then lift just before reaching
southern portions of Whitemarsh Park. 

KLWX WSR-88D Doppler Radar in Sterling VA depicted a tight 
velocity couplet that corresponded to the location of the damage 
described above. Residents in the area noted that they received 
the wireless emergency alert disseminating the Tornado Warning 
issued by the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington 
Weather Forecast Office prior to the damage occurring, and took
appropriate action to reduce their risk of injury from the
tornado.

The Baltimore/Washington Weather Forecast Office in Sterling,
thanks the City of Bowie and the Prince Georges County Department
of Emergency Services for their assistance in this survey, along 
with the residents of Prince Georges County that were witness to 
this tornado event. 

EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the
following categories:

EF0.........65 to 85 mph
EF1.........86 to 110 mph
EF2.........111 to 135 mph
EF3.........136 to 165 mph
EF4.........166 to 200 mph
EF5.........>200 mph

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