HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Columbia experienced an EF-1 tornado Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service confirmed Thursday evening. A storm survey confirmed the event, officials reported.

The tornado touched down in Columbia at 3:34 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, according to weather officials. Part of an office building roof in the 9700 block of Broken Land Parkway was ripped off, and a number of trees nearby were snapped, the weather service reported.

More details about the tornado are expected to be released from the National Weather Service on Friday. An EF-1 tornado is the second-weakest on the scale, which starts at 0. The rating means that gusts were estimated to have been 86 to 100 mph in the area where the damage occurred. UPDATE: Tornado Traveled 5.5 Miles, Howard County Storm Survey Reveals

A Columbia woman sustained minor injuries when a tree fell through a home in the 10200 block of Wayover Way around 3:40 p.m. in Columbia, according to the Howard County Department of Fire & Rescue Services. That location is less than 2 miles west of where the damage was reported on Broken Land Parkway. One person was taken for treatment of injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, the department reported.





The area was under a tornado warning from 3:30 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 23.

