At approximately 7:40 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, a tornado struck Gaithersburg in Montgomery County, Maryland, located around 22 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., resulting in serious injuries to at least one individual.
“Spotter confirmed tornado in Poolesville, Montgomery County, MD!!” the National Weather Service’s Baltimore-Washington Office announced on X. “People in and around Gaithersburg, Olney, and Brookeville should take cover immediately!!!”
Across Gaithersburg, a city with a population of about 70,000, there were multiple reports of collapsed structures with individuals trapped inside.
At one collapsed home, four individuals were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and one person was transported with a trauma injury, according to David Pazos, assistant chief with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue.
The storm had crossed Interstate 270 around 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
In Maryland, Baltimore, Dundalk, and Essex were all under a tornado warning until 9:30 p.m. Eastern, as reported by the weather service.
