BLOG: Confirmed Tornado
Much of yesterday's showers and heavier thunderstorms rolled through the Greater Baltimore Area before 2 p.m., but there was a tornado watch which lasted a little longer east of the city (4 p.m.) Most of the activity occurred between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
There were some downed tree limbs and power lines across Maryland, and A CONFIRMED TORNADO near Camp Springs, in Prince George's County. It was classified as an EF-0, with maximum wind speeds of 70 mph and a maximum width of 100 yards. Given just how awful the weather has been across the Southeast, we can be thankful things didn't turn out worse in the mid-Atlantic states. The cold front which triggered yesterday's rain is now pushing off shore, and hourly reporting stations indicate that the wind is turning from the southwest to more of a westerly direction. That wind will be averaging 12-25 mph for much of the day with some gusts of up to 30 mph possible, and what should be a fairly sunny start for most places will turn somewhat cloudier this afternoon. We tend to call it "self-destruct sunshine." whenever daytime heating interacts with some colder air aloft, and cumulus clouds billow up. If anybody gets a sprinkle this afternoon out of the instability, it'll be in areas well to the north of Baltimore. Most temperatures will be in the mid and upper-60s, and then tonight will be cool with clearing and a diminishing wind. Most lows tonight will be in the 40s, although some of the typically colder spots may wind up in the upper-30s.
A nice weekend is shaping up for the area as a ridge of high pressure builds into the eastern third of the country. With less wind tomorrow and a good deal of sunshine, highs will be near 70. Sunday will probably start out sunny and end on a bit of a cloudier note, but it should actually be some 2-4 degrees higher than tomorrow.
