Flash flood emergency in Ellicott City, Maryland, due to “potentially catastrophic” rainfall

By Jason Samenow
27 May 2018
(The Washington Post) – For the second time two years, Main Street in Ellicott City has been transformed into a raging river due to waves of thunderstorms unloading torrential rain. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for the city at 4:40 p.m. and reported multiple water rescues underway.“This is an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC situation,” the National Weather Service warned. Sunday’s flooding unfolded in a similar way to the 2016 flash flood event in which 6 inches of rain fell in two hours and two people died.The flash flood emergency was originally in effect until 7:30 p.m., but was extended to 10:30 p.m.Officials are urging anyone in the area to seek higher ground and not to drive through flooded roads.Radar indicates 3 to 6 inches of rain has fallen in just two hours and it continues to rain heavily. Just to the south of Ellicott City, radar indicated as much as 7 to 8 inches had fallen – which is an incredible amount of rain in such a short amount of time. […]Atmospheric moisture levels – near record-high levels – have fueled the onslaught of storms. [more]

Flash flood emergency in Ellicott City, Md., due to ‘potentially catastrophic’ rainfall