A survey team from the National Weather Service has declared that the thunderstorm that swept across the Baltimore region late Tuesday afternoon contained a small tornado (an "EF-0" on the "Enhanced Fujita Scale") packing 70 mph winds. The storm caused property damage along a mile-long swath in the Dundalk section of southeast Baltimore County.

No injuries were reported, and no damage estimate was immediately available.

Here is the NWS report, issued tonight.

"TODAY THE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE OF THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF STORM DAMAGE THAT
OCCURRED ON JUNE 9TH IN DUNDALK MARYLAND IN BALTIMORE COUNTY. THE
SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED IN CONCERT WITH BALTIMORE COUNTY OFFICE OF
HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

"THE FOLLOWING WAS DETERMINED THROUGH A DAMAGE SURVEY...EXAMINATION
OF RADAR AND EYEWITNESS INTERVIEWS.

"BASED ON ALL EVIDENCE THE DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH A BRIEF SMALL
TORNADO RATED EF-0 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE...WITH PEAK WINDS
ESTIMATED AT 70 MPH. PATH LENGTH WAS ONE MILE...WITH A MAX WIDTH OF
150 YARDS. INITIAL TIME OF TOUCHDOWN WAS 5:21 PM EDT...AND WAS ON
THE GROUND FOR ABOUT ONE MINUTE.

"NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.

"NO DAMAGE COST ESTIMATE WAS AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

"EVIDENCE OF THE TORNADO WAS FIRST NOTED ALONG THE NORTHERN EDGE OF
OAK LAWN CEMETERY AND THE ADJOINING EASTPOINT NEIGHBORHOOD NORTH OF
THE CEMETERY...DUE MAINLY TO TREES SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. MORE DAMAGE
WAS NOTED ALONG BREAD AND CHEESE CREEK FROM CARSON AVENUE EAST TO
PLAINFIELD RD. THE TORNADO PRODUCED STRUCTURE DAMAGE TO 3 TOWNHOUSES
ON BERKSHIRE LANE...WHERE PORTIONS OF THEIR FLAT TAR-PITCH ROOF WERE
REMOVED...A TREE FELL ON ANOTHER TOWNHOUSE ON BERKSHIRE...AND A
NEARBY CAR DEALERSHIP LOST A PORTION OF ITS CANVASS ROOF COVERING.
THE MOST CONCENTRATED DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED FROM THE BERKSHIRE RD
AREA...ACROSS MERRITT BLVD TO PLAINFIELD RD...WHERE MULTIPLE TREES
WERE SNAPPED AND/OR UP-ROOTED...WITH ONE TREE FALLING ON A HOUSE.
THE TORNADO APPEARED TO WEAKEN QUICKLY AS IT MOVED FURTHER EAST
THROUGH THE GRAY MANOR NEIGHBORHOOD...AND NO DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED
EAST OF WOODWELL RD.

"EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS AND EXAMINATION OF RADAR DATA SUGGEST THE
TORNADO BEGAN AS A GUSTNADO...A SPIN-UP CIRCULATION THAT FORMS ON
THE LEADING EDGE OF A THUNDERSTORM GUST FRONT. IT QUICKLY
TRANSFORMED INTO A MORE TRADITIONAL TORNADO...DEVELOPING AS A NEW
THUNDERSTORM UPDRAFT OVERRAN THE ORIGINAL GUST FRONT AND BECAME
COLLOCATED OVER THE ORIGINAL GUSTNADO. EYEWITNESSES REPORTED SEEING
DEBRIS...TREE LIMBS AND ROOFING MATERIAL...BEING LIFTED UPWARDS INTO
THE TORNADO CIRCULATION. ONE EYEWITNESS ON PLAINFIELD RD DESCRIBED
THE SOUND OF A FREIGHT TRAIN AS THE TORNADO PASSED OVER HIS HOUSE.

"THE WEATHER SERVICE EXTENDS THANKS TO BALTIMORE COUNTY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS...AND TO SOME MEMBERS OF LOCAL MEDIA WHO
ASSISTED IN POINTING OUT LOCATIONS OF DAMAGE IN DUNDALK."