Harford County residents wishing for rain got more than they asked for Sunday morning, when a powerful storm cut a swath of damage through Bel Air, Joppatowne and Edgewood.
High winds reportedly collapsed the roof of Hershey Auto Parts in downtown Bel Air, fire and EMS spokesman Rich Gardiner said. No one was injured.
“Fortunately it happened on a Sunday morning at 6:30,” Gardiner said. “With the volume of traffic on Baltimore Pike, it wasn?t as bad as what it would be on a Monday at 6:30 in the evening.” At least part of the roof was blown into the roadway, he said.
A “macro-burst” of high winds combined with a sudden downpour contributed to the toppling of many trees in the Bel Air area, as drought-parched soil was suddenly softened and roots no longer had a strong purchase in the increasing wind, National Weather Service spokeswoman Jackie Hale said.
Between 5 and 11 a.m., the Emergency Operations Center received at least 20 calls related to the storm, including dime-sized hail, downed trees and power lines, lightning-struck homes and wind damage.
About 1,400 Baltimore Gas and Electric customers were without power in the eastern part of Baltimore County and the southern part of Harford on Sunday afternoon, according to BGE?s Web site; that number plummeted to 211 by the evening.
High winds also buffeted the Harford County Farm Fair, upending several vendors? tents and collapsing a large tent housing goats and rabbits, vendor coordinator Joan Ryder said.
“We lost a couple of pigeons. … When the tent went down, it knocked over some cages and they escaped,” Ryder said.
“The kids stayed with the animals last night, so we were fortunate that nobody was hurt.”
The tents were repaired and exhibits ready in time for the 10 a.m. opening of the fair?s final day, she said, and the baking sun had returned by afternoon.
