This year, rain clouds, lightning and thunderstorms replaced the bountiful sunshine we usually experience during summer. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, July 2018 rainfall in Baltimore beat a record set in 1889 (16.73 inches vs. 11.03 inches).
In June 1900, an intense storm demonstrated the power of nature when it took the life of an Allegany County woman, struck by lightning in her own home.
According to the Baltimore Sun, a lightning strike during this violent storm killed 50-year-old Mary Imes of Hewitt. “She was alone in the house, and when her husband and some other members of the family returned home, they discovered her body on the floor by the kitchen stove,” reported the Sun. “While she bore evidence of having been burned by electricity, there were no other signs that lightning had struck.”
Sources: Baltimore Sun, June 21, 1900, U.S. Geological Survey website
Bygone Maryland 
Leave a Reply