Storms bring rain, little else
Suburban counties around Baltimore and Washington recorded as much as a half-inch of rain from the showers and thunderstorms that rolled through overnight. But apart from the rain, and some winds gusting to 39 mph at BWI, there was little else to show for the ruckus. A Tornado Watch issued just after 2 a.m. was later canceled.
BGE reported only a few hundred outages overnight. Temperatures, which reached a record 86 degrees Monday at BWI-Marshall Airport, dropped back into the 50s by daybreak as the cold front moved through, and we aren't expected to see the 70s again until next week.
The only storm damage being reported by the weather service this morning are some downed poles and wires near Port Tobacco, in Charles County, and similar tree damage in Calvert County. Rain and snow showers were in the forecast this morning for parts of Garrett and Allegany counties.
The photo is from Sunday night's storm, in Howard County. Here are some rain totals for last night from across the region, as reported by the CoCoRaHS Network:
Sykesville, Howard County: 0.52 inch
White Oak, Montgomery County: 0.51 inch
Baldwin, Baltimore County: 0.47 inch
Columbia, Howard County: 0.46 inch
Reisterstown, Baltimore County: 0.38 inch
Bel Air, Harford County: 0.35 inch
Baltimore City: 0.34 inch
Severn, Anne Arundel County: 0.21 inch
(PHOTO: James Willinghan, Howard County, 11:15 p.m. Sunday, April 3, 2011. Used with permission)
Comments
Nice photo...last night's ruckus (indeed!) made me wonder if this area has emergency alert sirens in the event of a tornado? Perhaps Oklahoma's tornado drills and siren testing spoiled me...when the wind came sweepin' through the grain, we were well-practiced at hiding under our desks.
Posted by: Cy Governs | April 5, 2011 10:03 AM
Don't know about the sirens... but I own one of those tone-alert auto-activated weather radios that turns on by itself whenever the NWS issues a warning... the problem with it is that sometimes it turns on for warnings issued for other places... such as marine warnings for the Bay and for central PA by the State College weather bureau... I don't want to be woken up at 4 am for those.
FR: You might want to try another channel. Most NOAA Weather Radios have several to choose from.
Posted by: LC | April 5, 2011 10:16 AM
I don't expect you to have an answer for this Frank, but I've often wondered why I can't find an application for smart phones that allows one to have a notification "pushed" to them when a weather warning comes out. I have seen a few that claim this is what they do but reading reviews shows that they are not at the point that they are reliable or effective. It seems like an app that would be quite popular--especially in the midwest where you need to be more aware of strong storms or tornado potential.
FR: I've asked the folks at NWS Sterling if they know of any good smartphone apps for tornado and other severe weather alerts. Still waiting. I subscribe to the Weatherbug alert service ($2.99 a month for about 15 msgs/mo.). I received a Tornado Watch alert at 2:17 a.m. Tuesday for my area in Baltimore County. Checked with Sterling. They said the alert was issued at 2:18 a.m. Can't beat that.
Posted by: Jeff | April 5, 2011 10:56 AM
Nice photo! Looking forward to some good old summer thunderstorms...
Posted by: Virgil Cain | April 5, 2011 1:18 PM
Thanks for the response Frank. I guess I should have clarified my intent though in finding a FREE app for weather alerts. Why should I have to pay to get that info? I guess I don't have to, but wouldn't that be a nice public service that should be offered for free given that it could potentially save lives? Maybe I expect too much...
FR: Makes sense, although as a newspaperman for 40 years, I hesitate to argue that information of value, that costs money to produce and transmit, should be available for free. That said, the warnings are paid for by our taxes, and an app to get that from the forecasters to our phones could save lives. If anyone knows of such an app, please speak up. If none exists, some smart app designer needs to get together with the NWS and invent one.
Posted by: Jeff | April 5, 2011 1:46 PM