Streets flood, tens of thousands without power after storm pummels Maryland

Hail, heavy rain and high winds pummeled commuters during rush hour, flooded streets and left tens of thousands without power on Tuesday evening.

The National Weather Service had placed much of Maryland under severe thunderstorm, flood and tornado watches or warnings. By 8:30 p.m., the storm had largely passed and a tornado watch remained in effect only for Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on the Eastern Shore through 10 p.m.

Still, many residents felt the impact of the fast-moving, early evening storm.

Water rose on low-lying Baltimore streets, including in the Fell’s Point neighborhood, leaving some cars and pedestrians stranded, according to videos from bystanders.

Hail pounded on vehicles leaving downtown Baltimore and on Interstate 395.

Anne Arundel County Police Department temporarily shut down Mountain Road at Magothy Beach Road after a utility pole toppled over.

Kevin Witt, a meteorologist with the weather service, said it had received reports of downed trees, power lines, hail and high water across the Baltimore region.

Tuesday’s storms hit the city of Baltimore, Aberdeen, Pasadena and White Marsh especially hard, Witt said, with reports of flooding and downed trees. Roughly 29,000 people were without power at around 9 p.m., mostly in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Howard and Prince George’s counties, according to Baltimore Gas and Electric’s outage map.

The utility said the storm “created widespread damage to electric equipment throughout central Maryland.”

“BGE crews are assessing damage and will be working around the clock to restore power for customers as quickly and safely as possible,” the company said in a statement Tuesday night.

It said 80 percent of affected customers should have their power restored by 11 p.m. Wednesday, with the vast majority getting electrical service back the end of Thursday.

The storm system was moving further east, but residual rain and occasional lightning was still possible, Witt said.

“You can get some lightning within this that’s still pretty dangerous,” he said.

By 7 p.m., the sun was peeking out of the clouds in downtown Baltimore and a rainbow could be seen over the Domino Sugars sign.

The rainfall was expected to slow after 8 p.m., though some rain might linger until 1 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the weather service.

Rainfall could total 1.5 inches, with some areas seeing up to 3 inches. Excessive rainfall could result in flash flooding in creeks, streams and urban areas.

The Baltimore City Office of Emergency Management warned residents to stay alert during the weather hazards on Tuesday, and be ready to head inside.

Temperatures will hover in the mid-80s through the end of the week with lows in the lower 70s.

In July 2016, a massive flood overwhelmed Old Ellicott City in Howard County with 6 inches of stormwater, killing two people.

Banner reporter Darreonna Davis contributed to this article.

This story will be updated.