Tornadoes and Severe 'Atypical' Weather Hit Virginia And Maryland

Several tornadoes and severe weather struck Maryland, Virginia, and the Washington D.C. area on Friday, damaging buildings, downing trees, and causing power outages. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), one tornado struck in Leesburg, Virginia, while another five were reported across Maryland. The tornadoes and high winds on Friday came after two days of heavy rain, WTOP reported. The NWS described the tornado event as "atypical" for this time of year.

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"We have seen a fair amount of damage across the area," Kyle Pallozzi, an NWS meteorologist, told WTOP. "We can get tornadoes in February, but also it's not the most typical thing." A February 7 tornado warning for the D.C.-Baltimore area was the earliest ever issued for this region, according to NBC4 meteorologist Chuck Bell. One resident of Leesburg, Kristi Rich, told WTOP she observed damage in her area after after the storm had passed. "There's a lot of debris, some downed trees and several homes had fencing damage," Rich said. "One home in particular had the siding ripped off of the side of the home and you can see the attic." The severe weather also caused travel disruptions in Maryland, particularly in Germantown, Poolesville, Boyds, and Dickerson, where several roads have been closed by debris and downed trees, according to authorities. "Throughout all of this we have had a number of collisions, car crashes, large branches and trees falling on cars," Pete Piringer, a spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire, told WTOP. "It's pretty significant damage." No injuries have been reported although one driver on Route 109 was fortunate to escape unharmed after a tree branch smashed through their windshield on Friday. The bad weather led to power outages across Northern Virginia and Maryland, leaving thousands of residents temporarily without power on Friday, WTOP reported. Severe weather also affected other parts of the country. Authorities confirmed five deaths in Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee, which have been linked to the storm, the Associated Press reported. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency for the state on Friday. Meanwhile, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice did the same for seven counties in his state. More severe weather forecast for next week in some parts of the country. "We do expect another storm system to come along about midweek next week and bring heavy precipitation to some of the same areas that just saw it over the past 24 hours. So something to keep an eye on for next week," Greg Carbin, a meteorologist from the Weather Prediction Center, told the Associated Press.