A warm front crossed the region during the morning hours of May 23rd, placing the area in the warm sector by the afternoon hours. At the same time, surface low pressure tracked across the northern Great Lakes, with an attendant cold front moving into the Ohio Valley by the evening. A mesoscale convective system (MCS) was ongoing during the morning hours and moved eastward and into the region during the afternoon hours. Out ahead of the MCS, moisture and warmth increased with moderate instability developing. Aloft, wind shear increased throughout the day and became quite substantial by the late afternoon. The MCS entered Maryland by the mid afternoon hours and intensified into a linear feature that produced damaging winds and one tornado before exiting during the evening.

Thunderstorm Wind in HOWARD, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:23:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:23:00 (EST-5)
Location: HIGHLAND
Magnitude: 61.00 EG
Reported by: NWS Employee

Two large 20 inch in diameter trees were snapped.

Thunderstorm Wind in HOWARD, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:30:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:30:00 (EST-5)
Location: CLARKSVILLE
Magnitude: 61.00 EG
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Multiple trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind in HOWARD, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:30:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:30:00 (EST-5)
Location: GLENELG
Magnitude: 61.00 EG
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Multiple trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind in HOWARD, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:32:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:32:00 (EST-5)
Location: SAVAGE
Magnitude: 61.00 EG
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Multiple large trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind in HOWARD, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:36:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:36:00 (EST-5)
Location: SAVAGE
Magnitude: 70.00 EG
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Multiple large trees and branches were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind in MONTGOMERY, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:27:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:27:00 (EST-5)
Location: WOODHAVEN
Magnitude: 50.00 EG
Reported by: Emergency Manager

A tree was blown down onto a house.

Thunderstorm Wind in PRINCE GEORGE'S, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:50:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:50:00 (EST-5)
Location: OXON HILL
Magnitude: 50.00 EG
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A tree was blown down onto a house.

Thunderstorm Wind in PRINCE GEORGE'S, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:56:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:56:00 (EST-5)
Location: (ADW)ANDREWS AFB CAM
Magnitude: 55.00 MG
Reported by: State Official

Multiple trees and utility poles were blown down throughout Prince Georges County. A wind gust to 63 mph was measured at Andrews Air Force Base.

Thunderstorm Wind in CHARLES, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 15:02:00 to 23-MAY-19 15:02:00 (EST-5)
Location: BRYANS ROAD
Magnitude: 50.00 EG
Reported by: State Official

A tree was blown down onto a house on Leslie Avenue at Wooster Road.

Thunderstorm Wind in ANNE ARUNDEL, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 15:10:00 to 23-MAY-19 15:10:00 (EST-5)
Location: ANNAPOLIS
Magnitude: 61.00 EG
Reported by: State Official

Multiple trees and wires were blown down throughout Anne Arundel County.

Thunderstorm Wind in CALVERT, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 15:22:00 to 23-MAY-19 15:22:00 (EST-5)
Location: OWINGS
Magnitude: 50.00 EG
Reported by: State Official

A tree was blown down near Owings.

Thunderstorm Wind in CALVERT, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 15:25:00 to 23-MAY-19 15:25:00 (EST-5)
Location: RANDLE CLIFF BEACH
Magnitude: 50.00 EG
Reported by: State Official

A tree was blown down on Beaver Dam Road.

Thunderstorm Wind in ST. MARY'S, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 15:40:00 to 23-MAY-19 15:40:00 (EST-5)
Location: MECHANICSVILLE
Magnitude: 50.00 EG
Reported by: Emergency Manager

A tree was blown down onto Loveville Road near the intersection with Bishop Road.

Thunderstorm Wind in CALVERT, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 15:45:00 to 23-MAY-19 15:45:00 (EST-5)
Location: CALVERT BEACH
Magnitude: 50.00 EG
Reported by: State Official

A tree was blown down on Calvert Beach Road at Apple Way.

Thunderstorm Wind in CALVERT, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 15:55:00 to 23-MAY-19 15:55:00 (EST-5)
Location: CHESAPEAKE RANCH EST
Magnitude: 50.00 EG
Reported by: State Official

A tree was blown down on Coyote Trail.

Thunderstorm Wind in ST. MARY'S, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 16:23:00 to 23-MAY-19 16:23:00 (EST-5)
Location: REDGATE
Magnitude: 50.00 EG
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A tree was blown down on Saint Andrews Church Road.

Thunderstorm Wind in HOWARD, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:30:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:30:00 (EST-5)
Location: HIGHLAND
Magnitude: 50.00 MG
Reported by: Mesonet

A wind gust of 58 mph (50 knots) was measured near Clarksville.

Tornado in HOWARD, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:27:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:36:00 (EST-5)
Location: HIGHLAND
Tornado F-scale: EF1
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey

A line of showers and thunderstorms crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains around 2:30 PM EDT (1:30 PM EST) 23 May 2019, then tapped into strong thermodynamics and wind shear, creating a Quasi-Linear Convective System (QLCS) that increased in intensity as it tracked southeast across central and southern Maryland, Washington DC, and northern Virginia.  The QLCS spawned an EF1 tornado in Howard County MD between 3:27 PM EDT (2:27 PM EST) and 3:36 PM EDT (2:36 EST), with a discontinuous damage path of 5.5 miles, moving east-southeast at an estimated 40 mph.
The first evidence of tornadic damage was near the intersection of Brighton Dam Road and MD Route 108 in Clarksville.  Several trees were uprooted in this vicinity with large branches pulled towards each other, and fell in multiple directions, except westerly.
As the tornado moved east, more convergent tree damage extended on either side of Cedar Lane around Corina Court in Columbia.  One eyewitness in this location who was interviewed saw the tornado knocking down trees, resulting in swirling debris.  Most trees in this location were uprooted, but a few were snapped.  Trees here were both softwood and hardwood. One tree fell into the roof of a house.  Another resident in this area reported getting the wireless emergency alert on their phone, followed moments later by strong winds, which knocked down large trees.
Tree damage was also noted along Shaker Drive between Seneca Farm Road and Wayover Way, where numerous large trees were uprooted, with a couple of trees
snapped, falling to the north.
The most significant damage noted was near the 9400 block of Patuxent Woods Drive, where a grove of hardwood and softwood trees were snapped about midway up their trunks, falling haphazardly.  A nearby office building lost part of its roof, which blew towards the east.  Trees were down further to the east, but it is likely that this was due to straight-line winds as radar analysis showed the tornado vortex broadening rapidly.

Thunderstorm Wind in MONTGOMERY, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:03:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:03:00 (EST-5)
Location: BURDETTS
Magnitude: 61.00 EG
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Multiple trees and wires were blown down in the Boyds area.

Thunderstorm Wind in MONTGOMERY, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:03:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:03:00 (EST-5)
Location: CLARKSBURG
Magnitude: 70.00 EG
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Numerous trees were blown down and snapped.

Thunderstorm Wind in MONTGOMERY, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 13:56:00 to 23-MAY-19 13:56:00 (EST-5)
Location: BARNESVILLE
Magnitude: 61.00 EG
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Several trees and wires were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind in MONTGOMERY, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:15:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:15:00 (EST-5)
Location: GAITHERSBURG
Magnitude: 58.00 MG
Reported by: NWS Employee

Multiple trees and large branches were blown down near the intersection of Washingtonian Boulevard and Great Seneca Highway. A gust to 67 mph was measured near Gaithersburg.

Thunderstorm Wind in MONTGOMERY, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:20:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:20:00 (EST-5)
Location: ASHTON
Magnitude: 61.00 EG
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A large tree was uprooted, one tree was snapped, and another large branch was snapped on private property.

Thunderstorm Wind in MONTGOMERY, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:20:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:20:00 (EST-5)
Location: BRIGHTON
Magnitude: 70.00 EG
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Multiple trees and wires were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind in MONTGOMERY, MARYLAND
From 23-MAY-19 14:11:00 to 23-MAY-19 14:11:00 (EST-5)
Location: LAYTONSVILLE
Magnitude: 61.00 EG
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Multiple reports of trees and utility poles blown down.