Storm Damage in Rockville and Olney: What to Check After Tuesday Night's Tornado Watch

If you were anywhere in Rockville, Olney, Sandy Spring, or Derwood on Tuesday evening, you already know what the sky looked like.

The National Weather Service placed Montgomery County under a tornado watch until 10 p.m. Tuesday night, along with much of the Mid-Atlantic. The watch flagged three hazards specifically: a few tornadoes possible, isolated hail up to ping-pong-ball size, and scattered wind gusts up to 70 mph.

Seventy miles an hour is the number that matters for your trees. That is the threshold where healthy limbs snap, where already-compromised trunks fail, and where saturated soil stops holding a root plate in place.

And the ground around here is already saturated. This is the second significant round of severe weather to hit Montgomery County this month.

We’ve Already Seen What These Storms Do Locally

Earlier in July, storms moved through the county and left a very clear picture of the damage pattern:

• About 1,591 customers in the Olney area alone lost power after trees and limbs came down on lines.
• Multiple trees fell along Bethesda Church Road between Clarksburg Road and Johnson Road.
• Crews responded to a tree that fell onto a house in the 27500 block of Clarksburg Road in Damascus.
• Downed wires were reported at Mink Hollow Road in Sandy Spring, New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring, Glenside Drive in Takoma Park, and Bethesda Church Road in Damascus.

None of that required a confirmed tornado. That was straight-line wind on wet ground — the same setup we just went through again.

Montgomery County is not a stranger to the worse version, either. In June 2024, two confirmed tornadoes touched down in the county, damaging at least four houses with fallen trees and trapping residents inside a home on Dogwood Drive in Gaithersburg until crews could reach them.

What to Look For on Your Property Tomorrow Morning

Most storm-damaged trees do not come down during the storm. They come down days or weeks later, in the next round of wind, after the damage has already weakened them and nobody noticed.

Walk your yard in daylight and look for:

• Hanging or broken limbs. Sometimes called widowmakers for a reason — a cracked branch lodged in the canopy can fall with no warning and no wind at all.
• A new lean. A trunk that shifted even a few degrees after a storm is a serious warning sign.
• Lifted or cracked soil at the base. If the ground on one side of the trunk is heaved up, buckled, or pulling away, the root plate is failing.
• Splits in the trunk or at major branch unions. Vertical cracks or a V-shaped crotch that is separating mean the tree has lost structural integrity.
• Exposed or torn wood. Fresh, light-colored wood showing through the bark means something tore recently.
• Trees near the house, driveway, or power lines. These get priority because a moderate tree issue becomes urgent when it is hanging over where people live.

What Not to Do

• Stay away from any tree touching a power line. Assume every downed wire is live and call 911 and Pepco.
• Do not climb a damaged tree. Limbs that look solid may have already failed internally.
• Do not work a chainsaw overhead or on a ladder. Storm work involves stored tension that can release violently.
• Do not wait on obvious hazards. If a tree is leaning toward your house, the next round of storms can finish the job.

When It’s Time to Call for Emergency Tree Service

Call right away if a tree or large limb is on your house, garage, car, or driveway; if a tree is leaning over a structure or blocking access; if there is a hanging limb over a walkway or play area; or if the soil is lifting at the base of any tree near where people go.

Rock Creek Tree, Turf & Landscape runs 24/7 emergency tree removal across Rockville, Olney, and the surrounding Montgomery County communities. That matters most in exactly this window — the hours after a storm, when a compromised tree is still standing but should not be.

Our team brings ISA Certified Arborists who can tell you what actually needs to come down and what can be saved, Maryland Licensed Tree Expert #1944 and MHIC licensing, crane services for removals too large or too close to a structure to take down conventionally, and fully licensed and insured crews trained in OSHA-compliant procedures.

We are local crews based right here at 17520 Bowie Mill Road in Rockville — not dispatched in from three states away.

That last point is worth saying plainly: after a big storm, out-of-area operations show up in Montgomery County neighborhoods looking for quick cash work. Ask anyone knocking on your door for their Maryland Tree Expert license number and proof of insurance before they touch anything.

Get an Assessment Before the Next Round

Storm season is not over. If Tuesday night left you with a limb you are not sure about, a tree that looks different than it did last week, or damage you need documented for an insurance claim, have someone qualified look at it.

For active emergencies — a tree on a structure or blocking access — call 301-580-6023 any hour.