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2 EF-0 Tornadoes Touched Down In Md. Last Thursday

ROCKVILLE, Md. (WJZ/BALTIMORE SUN) -- Two tornadoes have been confirmed to have touched down in Maryland during last Thursday's storms.

The tornadoes  touched down in Montgomery and St. Mary's counties and were EF-0 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, the weakest category of tornadoes.

The Lincoln Park neighborhood of Rockville went from quiet to violent within minutes last Thursday afternoon. Trees ripped free in different directions, some smashing into houses.

"About 14 or so trees into homes, and knowing there's no injuries, we're very fortunate. I think that has a lot to do with the National Weather Service and people heeding those warnings," said Chris Voss, Montgomery County Emergency Management.

The Montgomery tornado traveled 17 miles from North Potomac to Burtonsville, downing trees that damaged homes and vehicles. It had maximum wind speeds of 75 mph.

Damage was spotty from Rockville toward the Howard County line. Because it's a populated area, investigators from the National Weather Service had a lot of eyewitnesses.

"Combined with what we have from radar data in our office, we're pretty convinced this one was a tornado. It's just getting the details of how long the path was, how strong the winds were," said Christopher Strong, National Weather Service.

The Red Cross reports temporary housing had to be found for 35 Montgomery County residents whose homes were damaged.

More detailed information on the St. Mary's tornado is expected later Monday.

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