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National Weather Service confirms EF-1 tornado hit Bowie, second tornado in Anne Arundel County

BALTIMORE -- The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down in Bowie on Tuesday evening, with winds reaching up to 90 mph.

Officials said the tornado passed through the Somerset subdivision in Bowie around 5:30 p.m. and lasted for three minutes, causing "extensive tree damage," including one tree that fell on top of a house on Sinclair Lane.

Based on video evidence and eyewitness reports, the National Weather Service also confirmed a tornado touched down in an open field near Harwood in Anne Arundel County.

Neighbors in Bowie are still in shock after a fast-moving and furious storm literally ripped through their community.

"It just came out of nowhere," said one resident. "It whipped up, it did its damage, and then it was done and everything was still."

Homes on Bridle Place were pummeled by this storm Tuesday afternoon.

In the midst of the storm, residents felt trapped because they had no basements to hide in.

"So the wind is literally whipping horizontally this way," Shana Catandella of Bowie said. "Then the wind starts going the opposite direction horizontally. And right at that point, I knew."

Luckily, no one was injured.

Weather concerns continued in Maryland on Wednesday.

Gov. Larry Hogan notified Marylanders that they could see potential flooding in the near future.

"Following a hot and humid day across the state, thunderstorm and heavy rain are expected to move across our region this evening and tomorrow morning," Hogan said.

He noted that Central Maryland could see potential flooding.

The clean-up efforts in Bowie continued late Wednesday.

Bowie resident Mary Hold said she was on her way home from vacation when the storm hit on Tuesday.

"I was worried about travel delays and that didn't happen," she said. "I never once thought about a tornado hitting my house."

Holt spent the aftermath of the storm trying to organize her belongings into piles.

Bowie residents expect a tenuous clean-up process but remain grateful to have survived the storm.

Neighbor Sandy Varady told WJZ that she felt blessed.

"It could have been so much worse, Varady said.

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