July ended with a child’s death, water rescues, submerged cars, road closures and power outages after massive storms ripped through Central and parts of southern Maryland.

A child in Mount Airy was playing outside when the water pressure slammed him into a drain, where he became trapped, Police Chief Michael Ginevra said in an email.

The Mount Airy Police and Fire departments and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office were among those who responded to the incident at 201 W. Watersville Apartments around 5:20 p.m., officials said.

The child was recovered from the drain and died, Ginevra said.

Much of the storm had passed by 8 p.m., officials said. Up to 5 inches of rain hit Carroll, Harford, Howard and Montgomery counties, National Weather Service meteorologist Cody Ledbetter said.

Baltimore City and Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties saw up to 2.5, 3 and 3.5 inches of rainfall, respectively, Ledbetter said.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and other local agency leaders were monitoring the storm and regularly sharing updates from the Emergency Operations Center.

Flooding and downed trees have led certain city links to take detours, the Maryland Transit Administration said. Local Links 29, 69, 70, 73 and 75 are detouring at Patapsco Avenue between Annapolis Avenue and Hanover Street until 10 p.m. due to flooding.

By 8 p.m., around 2,100 people were without power. At one point, that number was around 4,400.

At Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Anne Arundel County, the Federal Aviation Administration ended a ground stop that lasted from 2:20 p.m. to 7 p.m. due to thunderstorms. FlightAware, the flight-tracking site, showed about 125 cancellations at BWI as of Thursday night.

Officials in Harford County reported multiple water rescues in the Joppatowne area. Two of them were in the 800 and 900 blocks of Joppa Farm Road, fire and emergency officials shared on social media.

There were several active rescue events in the area, Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service’s spokesperson shared on social media.

Gov. Wes Moore urged residents, especially those along the Interstate 95 corridor, to be prepared for flash flooding and severe thunderstorms and to follow the state Department of Emergency Management for updates.

“Our top priority is the safety of Marylanders,” Moore said in a post on X. “Please do your part by monitoring weather forecasts in your area and look out for your friends and family.”

Closures

Flooding forced the closure of two lanes of the outer loop of the beltway on 695, just west of Greenspring, on Thursday evening. A car was also submerged on Ruxton Road in Ruxton after floodwaters forced the closure of portions of the road. In Harford County, Winter Run Road between Route 7 and Singer Road is closed due to rising floodwaters.

In Baltimore, Aliceanna Street between Caroline and Bond streets and Caroline Street between Thames and Aliceanna streets closed starting at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Baltimore City Recreation and Parks canceled all outdoor permitted events and activities Thursday. Additionally, all city pools closed at 2:30 p.m. and recreation centers at 5 p.m.

Baltimore City Public Schools and Enoch Pratt libraries closed at 2 p.m.

Government offices in Baltimore County closed at 2:30 p.m. Baltimore County Recreation and Parks also closed at 2:30 p.m. Baltimore County Public Schools and offices closed at 3 p.m., and afterschool and evening activities for Thursday were canceled.

Howard County Recreation and Parks canceled Thursday’s Summer Concert in West Friendship Park.

Parking

Baltimore officials encouraged Harbor East and Fells Point residents to park in the following garages to avoid possible flooding:

• Fleet & Eden Garage: 501 S. Eden Street, Baltimore, Md., 21205
• Little Italy Parking Garage: 400 S. Central Avenue, Baltimore, Md., 21202

The garages are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and vehicles must be out by 9 a.m. Friday.

Commuter bus delays and detours are likely, the MTA said in an announcement.

Shelters

The following shelters are operating under emergency capacity until 9 a.m. Friday.

• Fairfield Inn — (couples and families) 101 S. President St.
• Weinberg Housing and Resource Center — (single adults only) 620 Fallsway

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for the region, including Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s counties.

The advisory will be in effect through Thursday evening.

Ahead of the storm, officials urged residents to use caution and not drive through flooded areas. Howard County Police are implementing parking restrictions in historic Ellicott City, which experienced flooding in 2016 and 2018.

Parking is prohibited as of 1 p.m. on Main Street, from Ellicott Mills Drive to the Patapsco River bridge, and along Maryland Avenue, authorities said. Main Street may be temporarily closed to traffic during the storms, if needed.

July started with gusts close to 60 mph and heavy flooding, and thousands in the metro Baltimore region losing power due to rainy weather. On July 16, torrential rain struck parts of Central and Southern Maryland, leading to lightning-sparked fires and tornado warnings in some areas. Just a couple of days before that, some parts of Baltimore flooded.

Despite the rain, temperatures Thursday were still scorching, with a high near 97 that felt more like 106, NWS predicted. Baltimore City Health Department, again, extended the Code Red Extreme Heat alert to Thursday.

Pallozzi said a cold front will follow Thursday’s heavy rain, high temperatures and high humidity.

The cooldown is coming just in time for the weekend.

Baltimore Banner photographer Jerry Jackson contributed to this story.