A fast-moving storm tore through the Come And Go Farm in Westminster yesterday, ripping the roof off an outbuilding and flinging sheets of metal and wood across a pasture and onto a nearby road. About a dozen to 14 longhorn cattle bolted through surrounding fields as workers and neighbors scrambled to corral them, and witnesses said no animals appeared to be injured.
Farm worker and neighbor describe the scene
A farm worker who was in the pasture said he had just put out a bale of hay when the roof suddenly blew off, and the cattle took off running. He estimated that about 14 Texas longhorns had been standing near the outbuilding and said they were very spooked but unhurt, according to WBAL NewsRadio. Workers then tried to coax the herd into a different pasture with another shelter in place, anticipating more rough weather. Neighbors said they first sheltered indoors after receiving tornado watches on their phones, then headed outside once it was safe to survey the damage.
Debris across pasture and along I-97
News crews from WBAL-TV 11 News drove through the area after the warning expired and reported heavy rain, but said they did not see sustained high winds. They did note that three large trees appeared to have been felled at the same spot along Interstate 97 North and that several limbs were snapped off at a similar height along the route to the farm. Neighbors told the station that one outbuilding on the Come And Go property looked ripped to pieces, with debris scattered across both the pasture and the street. Matthew Clark, a Westminster resident, said he sheltered in his basement when a tornado watch alert came through, then later emerged to find debris strewn across a field near the farm…