MONKTON, Md. — The revved-up engine of a chainsaw followed the path of the tornado that dropped and snapped off trees in its path, cutting right through Al Neville's acreage in Monkton.
"It looked like the Wizard of Oz for a few minutes,” said Neville, “and the next thing, the winds picked up, and I knew it was a very intense amount of wind coming through, because the trees were bending and I could hear snapping. We lost about six trees in the back of the property."
The National Weather Service determined over the weekend that Friday's tornado had touched down on Corbett Road and cut a path 150-yards-across and three-miles-long through wooded terrain dotted with horse farms until it reached Sheppard and Troyer Roads.
Contractors with the State Highway Administration armed with chainsaws cleared roads and right of ways, felling tree limbs some 18 inches in diameter.
"There were definitely branches of a pretty good size that have been snapped off," said Joshua Warner, as he cut up a massive limb. "I've been on storm work in Maryland when there was ice and snow, but this is a little out of the ordinary."
Extraordinary, according to Al Neville, who sought shelter inside his home as the storm passed by in a matter of four or five minutes.
"When I looked out one window, it was like looking at a drywall,” said Neville. “It was that much rain, and you couldn't see outside or anything. It was just a wall of white."
In addition to the tornado, the weather service said straight line winds also toppled trees in Northeastern Baltimore County and Northwestern Harford County.
