Severe storm, confirmed tornado brings down trees and power lines in Bowie, Maryland
BOWIE, Md. (7News) — Two tornadoes were observed by weather spotters in Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties in Maryland, StormWatch7 Meteorologist Bill Kelly reported Tuesday evening as severe weather rolled through the D.C. area.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a tornado warning around 5:21 p.m. for parts of the counties, including Bowie, Glenn Dale and Mitchellville. Around 5:30 p.m., a trained storm tracker spotted a tornado in Bowie. Another tornado was spotted in Shady Side about 15 minutes later, Kelly reported.
Wednesday morning, the NWS confirmed that a tornado touched down in Bowie.
SEE LATEST WEATHER | RADAR
As of 5 a.m. Wednesday, the electric power crews were blocking neighbor roads near Bradford Lane with cones and caution tape as crews tell 7News' Kevin Lewis that live wires are still down on the roads.
No reports of injuries were reported but SKYTRAK7 was over some storm damage in Bowie and across Prince George's County where you can see some damage to roofs and properties.
7News Maryland Bureau Chief Brad Bell was at Stonybrook and Buckingham Drives in Bowie, where a large tree was down in the yard and fencing was strewn about.
Brad said he could see the path of the tornado, where trees fell to either side.
Two Bowie residents spoke to 7News about what they saw and hear. One man said he heard a noise and knew something wasn't right.
"And then I saw this tree fell, then I took cover," said the man. His uncle, who was in the back of the home watching a movie, when he heard the trees started snapping.
"If you look in the back, it made a path straight through the yard," he said.
From our sister station, a WBFF photographer also captured a video of a funnel cloud in Bowie.
SEE ALSO | Weather Alert: Tornado warnings end in Anne Arundel, Prince George's counties
Several people shared photos online of the severe weather as it moved through the area.
One woman, Landi James, posted a video of an ominous storm cloud outside CVS on Laurel-Bowie Road at about 5:32 p.m.
Trombone Joe Jackson shared these photos of storm damage near Bradford Lane and Bridle Place in Bowie.
Bowie resident James Martinez was home alone and tells 7News he was tired from a trip, so he had planned to lie down in bed for a while. He’s very glad he didn’t because when the tornado hit a giant part of a tree crashed into his home, sending debris onto his bed.
“I got underneath a door frame, and just kind of looked up and hoped for the best. The next thing you know I heard a crash come through. I went to check on the dogs, I came back, and that’s when I saw this massive tree was in my bedroom,” Martinez said. “I don’t know what kept me up, but I’m grateful that I was out of my room when that happened.”
Bowie resident Chris Lee told 7News he saw the tornado in the distance, heading toward his home in the B section of Bowie.
“I saw the spinning in that direction over there,” Lee said as he pointed to the northwest. “I grabbed the kids, threw them underneath the steps, got my wife in there, and I got in with them. And within a matter of five seconds, it was over.”
A large branch landed on part of Lee’s SUV and there was a very small amount of damage near his roof, but he was not aware of any other damage.