Overview

• On July 9, tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings rang out across the D.C. metro area as torrential rains flooded streets and downed trees.
• By the morning of July 10, the strongest storms had shifted eastward and all tornado alerts had expired, though flood watches persist.
• A video posted by X user Collin Rugg documenting the sweeping shelf cloud over Bowie, Maryland quickly went viral on social media.
• Local agencies reported water rescues in Alexandria and closed Main Street in Historic Ellicott City due to rising floodwaters.
• Meteorologists note that shelf clouds form when storm outflows lift warm, moist air, creating a dramatic but non-rotational arcus formation.