Thunderstorms strand travelers at BWI, bring power outages and flash flooding

Thunderstorms accompanied by high winds roared through Central Maryland on Tuesday evening, stranding travelers at airports and leaving thousands of area residents without power.

The National Weather Service had warned of 60 mph winds and some flooding in the Baltimore-Washington region through later this evening.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop early Tuesday evening and repeatedly extended it, most recently until 11:30 p.m., at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Dulles International and Reagan National airports due to thunderstorms.

Nearly 150 flights at BWI were canceled, according to the flight tracking system, FlightAware. More than 500 more were canceled at the Washington, D.C.-area airports.

The strong frontal system created hazardous travel conditions through late Tuesday night. Flooding led to a partial bridge collapse on northbound Woodfield Road in Montgomery County, police said. The road was closed and motorists were advised to take alternate routes.

The weather service early Wednesday issued a flood warning for Anne Arundel and Howard counties through 6:30 a.m. It reported that flooding was already occurring along the Little Patuxent River at Savage, and that it expected to also see it in Crofton, Fort Meade and Odenton in Anne Arundel County and in Scaggsville in Howard County.

Streams will continue to rise due to excess runoff from previous rainfall, forecasters said.

Roughly 1,800 people were without power as of 1 a.m. Wednesday, mostly in the city of Baltimore and Anne Arundel County, according to Baltimore Gas and Electric’s outage map. That was down from around 4,000 earlier in the night.

Connor Belak, an NWS meteorologist, said Tuesday evening that the worst of the system — including 60 mph wind gusts, lightning and heavy rain — was likely between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

“If you’re driving, take it slow, and don’t stop on the road,” Belak said.

The system was expected to bring high winds capable of downing trees and power lines, tidal flooding and the potential for small stream and creek flooding, the weather service said.

Weather officials issued a flash flood warning until 9:30 p.m. for Baltimore City and Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties.

The city’s recreation and parks department had closed pools Tuesday in anticipation of storms.

Montgomery and Howard Counties were under a flash flood warning until 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue responded to a stranded motorist in the 1900 block of Brighton Dam Road in Brookville. Crews were able to assist the sole occupant, a woman, get out of her vehicle, which remained stuck in water, officials said in a social media post.

Earlier Tuesday, forecasters said a low-pressure system was expected to produce severe weather and flash flooding from the mid-South region of the United States to the East Coast. The system even led to the postponement of the Orioles game against the Red Sox in Boston.

Multiple rounds of thunderstorms coming from the west were expected to reach Central Maryland on Tuesday afternoon and last until 10 p.m., said Luis Rosa, a meteorologist for the weather service’s Baltimore/Washington office.

Rosa said the storms would move fast, around 35 mph, with about an inch of rainfall was expected.

“We have to be cautious because there will be multiple rounds,” Rosa said earlier Tuesday.

The weather service issued a hazardous weather outlook across the region, including in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. It noted that heavy rainfall and high winds would create moderate to major tidal impacts in cities such as Baltimore and Annapolis.

Large hail and a tornado were possible, according to the weather service.

Air quality was moderate after smoke from Canadian wildfires put much of the state under a Code Red, when conditions were considered very unhealthy for everyone. The rain was expected to continue to help bring the air quality closer to normalcy.

Winds and thunderstorms hit the region over the weekend, knocking down trees and power lines in Anne Arundel and Howard counties.

Isolated thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts were forecast for parts of the Baltimore region on Wednesday, including southern Baltimore County, Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties, and parts of Howard and Montgomery counties.