A fast-moving line of severe storms battered Maryland with 60 mph gusts, grounding flights at BWI and leaving behind damage that residents say could have been prevented.
A powerful storm system swept through Maryland on Wednesday evening, unleashing damaging wind gusts, blinding rainfall, lightning, and hail — leaving a trail of destruction across several Baltimore neighborhoods and triggering a ground stop at the region’s largest airport.
On Bowers Avenue in Baltimore, a large tree toppled onto both a car and a home. For the Stewart family, the aftermath mixed shock with relief.
“Crying, a lot of crying, anxiety, just disbelief.” — Shaniyah Stewart, Bowers Avenue resident
Stewart said her mother and siblings were home when the tree came down, but were unharmed — the impact hit the front of the house while they were in the back. Two family cars parked outside were crushed.
What made the situation more painful, neighbors say, is that they had seen it coming for years.
Neighbor Michael Moore said he had filed repeated complaints to Baltimore City, asking crews to cut the tree more aggressively each time they came. Each time, he said, they trimmed minimally and left.
“I’ve called about it all the time, and when they come and do the tree, I ask them to cut more off, and they don’t do that.” — Michael Moore, neighbor
Moore added that over the years, the city replaced sidewalk concrete cracked by the tree’s growing roots — but never treated the tree itself as a hazard.
Damage across the city
The storm’s impact stretched across multiple Baltimore streets. On Ellwood Avenue, a downed tree blocked the road entirely. On Piedmont Avenue, another tree fell onto a parked vehicle. Rain-soaked soil combined with high winds created dangerous conditions for older trees citywide.
Flights halted at BWI
The FAA issued a ground stop at Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport due to thunderstorms. The halt was lifted around 9 p.m. Delays affected inbound and outbound flights until conditions improved.
Hail reported in Essex
Viewer Susan Lee shared a photo showing large hailstones in her hand in Essex — a glimpse of the storm’s intensity beyond Baltimore’s urban core. The hail was part of the same line of storms responsible for the damaging winds and heavy rain.
As the cleanup begins, residents like Moore are asking a harder question: how many storms will it take before the city acts before the damage — not after?
