Thunderstorms swept across Maryland Monday evening, dumping rain in the Baltimore region, which was under a flash flood warning until 9:15 p.m.

Meteorologists with the National Weather Service issued multiple flash flood warnings, at times covering all of Baltimore City and parts of Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Howard and Montgomery counties.

As of 8:50 p.m., “numerous” roads in the region were closed due to flooding, according to the National Weather Service.

“It will take several hours for all the water from these storms to work through local drainage systems in urban areas,” the bulletin says.

Parts of the region were also under a severe thunderstorm warning until 7:15 p.m. The warning area included Baltimore, Annapolis and other areas along the Chesapeake Bay.

The NWS bulletin regarding the thunderstorm warning called for wind gusts of up to 60 mph. As of 9 p.m., no widespread damage from the storms had been reported.

And as of 9:20 p.m., about 3,500 utility customers were affected by power outages in the region, according to BGE.

The storm in Baltimore

Baltimore City firefighters responded a little before 8 p.m. to the 5900 block of Bowley’s Lane in Frankford, which is adjacent Herring Run, to rescue four people from rushing water, according to spokesperson John Marsh.

“They’re all safe,” Marsh said.

He added that it was “unclear on how or why they were in the water.”

In Federal Hill and Locust Point, stragglers caught in driving rain ran for shelter while lightning flashed overhead.

Within a matter of minutes, puddles covered parts of the sidewalks while the shoulders of roads and wheelchair ramps filled with water. A handful of runners seemed to be pressing on despite the conditions.

On the other side of the city, the entrance to the Mount Pleasant Ice Arena in northeast Baltimore flooded with about 3 inches of water and the parking lot had two large, muddy streams coursing through it just before 7 p.m.

The lobby was flooded, with skaters walking with their blades submerged and a coach trying to mop things up.

“This is bad. They did a million dollar renovation and this is still a problem,” said Judy Carrig, a long time board member of the Baltimore Figure Skating Club that calls Mount Pleasant its home.

The summer is the most typical time of year for flooding in the area, according to NWS meteorologist Kyle Pallozzi, who works in the Baltimore/Washington forecast office.

But the threat Monday was more severe than the flood watch issued last week and the alerts for flash flooding over the weekend, Pallozzi said.

The Baltimore area was at a level three of four today, meaning there is a “moderate risk” for excessive rainfall. Pallozzi said this typically happens once or twice a year in the Baltimore region.

Howard County Police reopened Main Street in historic Ellicott City around 7 p.m. after shutting it down earlier Monday evening “due to significant rainfall and reported water starting to appear on the roadway,” the county said in a post on social media. County officials said Main Street saw only “minor” standing water.

Ellicott City experienced dangerous flooding in 2016 and 2018. Howard County is investing funds to mitigate the potential disasters from future floods.

When traveling on the roads, it’s important to remember to “turn around, don’t drown,” the weather service emphasized. Just 12 inches of fast-moving water can carry away a car.

Excessive rain is expected throughout the rest of this week, with more flood watches possible on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service Excessive Rain Outlook.

The Banner’s Nori Leybengrub and Adam Willis contributed to this article.