Seven Tornadoes Struck The Region On Wednesday

The Weather has classified five of them as EF 1.Arlington, Va. (KM) The National Weather Service says seven tornadoes struck the region on Wednesday. The agency says these twisters struck Arlington, Virginia with winds of 96 miles per hour. The one in Montgomery County was measured at 105 miles per hour. The tornado that touched down in Columbia, Maryland had 95-mile-per hour winds. There were tornadoes in Baltimore County, and Middle  River which each had winds measured at 105 miles per hour. All five are classified at EF 1.There were two EF 0 tornadoes on Wednesday: One was in Inwood, West Virginia with 75-mile-per-hour winds, and in Eldersburg,, Maryland  with winds of 85 miles per hour.Weather Service Meteorologist Jim Lee told news reporters on Thursday that the storm system which produced these twisters began outside of Leesburg, Virginia, and traveled east through Montgomery and Howard Counties, and then to Baltimore.Survey teams were investigating the damage in nine counties in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia on Thursday.Meanwhile, cleanup efforts continued across the region. Media reports say in Montgomery County, the twisters left behind downed trees, damaged homes and power outages. Officials say five or six homes are believed be impacted by the tornadoes.Five residents in Gaithersburg were injured when a tree crushed their house on Wednesday.. They were all taken to the hospital.News media outlets say the Red Cross is in the area doing damage assessments and assisting those impacted  by the tornado damage.By Kevin McManus