Maryland tornado: Severe overnight storms trigger near-record warnings

Baltimore area residents and officials are taking in the damage Thursday morning after severe storms and strong gusts battered parts of Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia late in the afternoon and in the evening.

The National Weather Service issued a staggering 22 tornado warnings for the Baltimore-Washington area on Wednesday, one of the highest tallies ever recorded by the region's forecast office.

The last time a storm system exceeded this number of tornado warnings was April 2011, when forecasters issued 23 for the region, said Erik Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Several people took to social media overnight to share images of funnel clouds in Montgomery County and possibly Baltimore, although the National Weather Service is still confirming the sightings.

So far, meteorologists have used drone footage to confirm that at least one tornado touched down east of Brookeville. Five people were rescued from a home in Gaithersburg after a large tree fell on the structure.

The National Weather Service is compiling a report on the extent of the storm and the resulting damage, although it may not be ready for several days, Taylor said. Crews were expected to be on the ground Thursday with state emergency management officials.

Meanwhile, meteorologists expect more showers and thunderstorms Thursday, some of which could produce heavy rain and extreme conditions. The greatest threat for severe storms is along and east of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the afternoon, officials said on social media.

This is a developing story.