The National Weather Service is sending a storm-damage assessment team to Anne Arundel County this morning to survey wind damage. They will determine whether it was, indeed, a tornado that tore through the area last evening, and if so, how powerful it was. Here's The Sun's story. Here's this morning's NWS statement:

"SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SPAWNED A TORNADO IN THE VICINITY OF SEVERNA
PARK MARYLAND IN ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY. DAMAGE HAS BEEN REPORTED IN
THE AREA. A SURVEY TEAM OF NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS
IS CURRENTLY EN ROUTE TO THE AREA TO INVESTIGATE THE DAMAGE IN THAT
AREA.

"PRELIMINARY TORNADO ASSESSMENT INFORMATION WILL BE RELEASED FRIDAY
AFTERNOON BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIA A PUBLIC
INFORMATION STATEMENT. THIS PRODUCT WILL BE ISSUED BEFORE 5 PM."

The WeatherBlog will post the statement when it becomes available. We're also happy to have readers upload any photos they have of the storm damage. Just go to our Reader's Photos page, at the bottom of the main MarylandWeather.com page, register and follow the directions for uploading your images. We've made it a bit easier than it used to be. Try it.

In the meantime, here is a rundown on some of the damage reports received by the NWS at Sterling.

Here at The Sun, our new weather station recorded 0.94 inch of rain from about 6 p.m. until 11 p.m. The temperature dropped 15 degrees in an hour with the frontal passage - from 75 degrees at 6 p.m., to 60 degrees an hour later. (The overnight low was 56.) The barometer bottomed out at 29.65 inches at 5 p.m., then began a swift climb to 29.90 inches - and still rising - at 11 a.m.

Here are some rainfall tallies:

Annapolis:  1.11 inches

Reagan National: 1.04

BWI: 1.03

Science Ctr.: 0.83

Dulles Int'l.: 0.67

Philadelphia: 0.27

Hagerstown: 0.19