When weather makes news this time of year, it's usually because of a hurricane. But two weeks ago, a devastating tornado, not far from our area, made national headlines.

On September 24, the strongest autumn tornado to hit the state of Maryland in the last 50 years caused its worst damage just northeast of Washington, DC. According to the Weather Service, a funnel cloud - basically a tornado that hasn't reached the ground - was sighted near the Pentagon in northern Virginia just after 5pm. The funnel moved northeast across Washington and touched down near the College Park campus of the University of Maryland, where two students were killed when their car was thrown by the storm's nearly 200-mph winds. In this photo of the tornado, taken from about two miles away, you can see the top of Byrd Stadium, where the Maryland football team plays its home games.

There was some warning for this storm. A tornado watch was in effect, and tornado warnings were issued about ten minutes in advance. However, strong tornadoes are rare in the Mid-Atlantic states, so reliable means of quickly getting the word out, such as tornado sirens, aren't in place. Truth is, anytime a strong tornado strikes in a densely populated area, there's bound to be trouble.