...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
