Power Outage in Wilmington, DE

Observer reports significant damage in the area including trees down and power outages. Time estimated from radar.

Small tree downed onto power lines, numerous large branches down in the area. Time estimated from radar.

Freezing rain fell before transitioning to plain rain. Southern portions of the county saw limited icing. The New Castle County Airport (KILG) ASOS recorded 0.25 inches of ice accretion. Impacts were generally limited, but far northwestern portions of the county did see some localized tree and power line damage due to freezing rain continuing for longer there.

Power lines were downed near Port Penn Rd. Time estimated from radar.

Several reports of downed tree limbs and power lines in the area. Time estimated from radar.

Tree damage and power outages were reported, including a downed tree which closed a portion of Route 52. Measured gusts of 50 to 60 mph were reported in surrounding areas.

Power lines were downed near Maryland Ave. Time estimated from radar.

Trees and power poles down n Greenville. Time estimated from radar.

Tree onto a house with people trapped in Edgemoor Gardens. Power lines down. Time estimated from radar.

Tree down onto power lines at Wilmington Washington Street Extension and Hanover Road in north Wilmington. Time estimated from radar.

A sustained wind of 43 mph with gusts to 59 mph was measured at New Castle County Airport (KILG). Downed trees and power lines were reported in the county, along with locally more significant damage caused by a tornado. A wind gust of 96 mph was measured near Smyrna in association with a tornado.

Several reports of downed power lines were received from the Stanton and Marshalltown areas. Time estimated from radar.

The New Castle County Airport (KILG) ASOS measured a 58 mph wind gust. Several reports of downed trees and power lines were received, including a tree blown into a house in Newport.

Several reports of trees and power lines down near Memorial Dr. Time estimated from radar.

Several reports of trees and power lines down near Glasgow and Woodside Manor. Time estimated from radar.

Several reports of trees and power lines down in the area of Milltown Rd. Time estimated from radar.

Power lines downed on Centerville Rd.

Downed power lines on Way Rd between Old Kennett Rd and Creek Rd. Time estimated from radar.

An observer reported a downed tree causing a power outage at a home near the border of Maryland and Delaware.

Trees down on Auburn Mill Road near Hockessin. Power lines down on Naaman Road near Ashbourne Hills. Tree down on Barley Mill Road near Greenville.

Powerlines taken down due to thunderstorm winds.

A large tree fell down due to thunderstorm winds in the Highlands neighborhood leading to power outages and road closures.

A lightning strike from a thunderstorm took down some power lines.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down traffic lights onto Kirkwood Highway (Delaware State Route 2) in Eastburn Heights (Mill Creek Hundred). There were also some trees knocked down onto power lines in the area with power outages.

Bands of heavy rain caused poor drainage flooding in northern New Castle County during the evening of the 12th. The heavy rain also saturated the soil and knocked over a few shallow rooted trees. About 1,000 homes and businesses lost power in the county. Vehicles became stuck in flood waters at the Christiana Mall. Twaddell Mill Road was flooded and closed between Montchanin Road and Kennett Pike. Event precipitation totals included 4.10 inches in Odessa, 3.48 inches in Glasgow, 3.23 inches in Middletown, 3.10 inches in Townsend, 3.08 inches in Blackbird, 2.65 inches in New Castle, 2.51 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 2.22 inches in Pike Creek, 2.17 inches in Newport and 2.02 inches in Claymont.

A severe thunderstorm tore down trees, large tree limbs and wires mainly across the central third of New Castle County. Nearly 3,000 homes and businesses lost power and power was not completely restored until the morning of the 15th.

A severe thunderstorm tore down trees, large tree limbs and wires mainly across the central third of New Castle County. Nearly 3,000 homes and businesses lost power and power was not completely restored until the morning of the 15th.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down a few large tree limbs and caused isolated power outages along Summit Bridge Road in Middletown.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down a couple of trees in New Castle County north of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal between Glasgow and Saint Georges. Several hundred Delmarva Power and Light customers lost power.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down trees along North DuPont Road near the Ed Porky Oliver Golf Course. One downed fifty foot tree trapped a driver in his vehicle. On Centreville Road, just west of Wilmington, properties were losing half dozen to dozen trees. The combination of damaging winds and lightning caused power outages in the Greenville, Mount Cuba and Kennett Pike areas of New Castle County.

A gust front outrunning a cluster of severe thunderstorms entered near Newark in western New Castle County at approximately 11:57 pm EDT on the 29th. This gust front produced damaging wind gusts estimated from 65 to 70 mph as it traversed eastward across the county. Within approximately 20 minutes of the gust front passage, a potent line of severe thunderstorms tracked eastward into New Castle County. One thunderstorm cell in particular experienced rapid intensification and expansion as it tracked into New Castle County. Destructive wind gusts, estimated near 75 mph, resulted in tree and power line damage across the county. Multiple downed trees were reported in Middletown and Odessa. In addition, power poles were snapped by wind gusts estimated between 70 and 75 mph in Middletown. Severe thunderstorms exited eastern New Castle County, including Delaware City, at approximately 12:50 am EDT on the 30th.

A line of severe thunderstorms caused wind damage mainly along the western tier hundreds of New Castle County, especially along the border with Maryland. In Blackbird Hundred, trees were knocked down along Green Giant Road and Blackbird Station Road. In Stanton (Mill Creek Hundred), a 200-year-old oak tree took down cable and phone lines. The combination of lightning and damaging wind caused about 4,500 homes and businesses to lose power in New Castle County. Outages were concentrated from Middletown southward to Smyrna in Kent County and from the Saint Georges area east through New Castle. All power was restored by the evening of the 23rd.

A line of severe thunderstorms caused wind damage mainly along the western tier hundreds of New Castle County, especially along the border with Maryland. In Blackbird Hundred, trees were knocked down along Green Giant Road and Blackbird Station Road. In Stanton (Mill Creek Hundred), a 200-year-old oak tree took down cable and phone lines. The combination of lightning and damaging wind caused about 4,500 homes and businesses to lose power in New Castle County. Outages were concentrated from Middletown southward to Smyrna in Kent County and from the Saint Georges area east through New Castle. All power was restored by the evening of the 23rd.

A squall line of severe thunderstorms produced wind damage across New Castle County, with the hardest hit areas in the northern part of the county. Numerous trees were uprooted and damaged, especially Tulip Poplars. In Newark, a couple of trees fell on homes and the siding was ripped away from one apartment building. In and around Wilmington, a large tree crashed through a home in Westover Hills. The Hagley Museum and Library lost eight trees. Elsmere and Hockessin were among the communties that were hardest hit by power outages.

A severe thunderstorm tore down power lines and large tree limbs in Stanton in Mill Creek Hundred.

A severe thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 76 mph at the New Castle County Airport. The same severe thunderstorm caused a partial roof collapse at an industrial park near New Castle County Airport, knocked down large trees in New Castle, knocked down a tree onto a vehicle in Wilmington and capsized seven boats at Battery Park on the Delaware River. The worst reported wind damage was the partial collapse of the roof of an auto parts storage facility near the airport. About a 200 foot section of the roof was torn away, another piece collapsed into the building. Pieces of the roof landed in the back yards of homes on Bunker Hill Road. Two front doors were also blown away. Two homes in New Castle suffered roof damage after trees fell on them. There were about thirty weather related incidences (downed trees and wires and transformers) reported throughout New Castle County. No injuries were reported. About 15,000 homes and businesses lost power because of the severe thunderstorm. Power was fully restored by the 3rd.

Lightning struck a home on Hempstead Drive near Glasglow. When firefighters arrived, they found smoke in the basement and sparks coming from the fireplace. About thirty-five firefighters assisted in extinguishing the blaze. The smoke and fire damage rendered the home temporarily uninhabitable. No injuries were reported. Lightning strikes caused about 3,000 homes and businesses to lose power during the evening of the 14th.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down several trees and wires in northeastern New Castle County from Elsmere northeast into Brandywine Hundred. One downed tree blocked a roadway near U.S. Route 202 in Brandywine Hundred. Some pea size hail also occurred in the area. Power outages affected the Trolley Square section of Wilmington.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down several trees and wires in northeastern New Castle County from Elsmere northeast into Brandywine Hundred. One downed tree blocked a roadway near U.S. Route 202 in Brandywine Hundred. Some pea size hail also occurred in the area. Power outages affected the Trolley Square section of Wilmington.

The squall line of severe storms caused about twenty related wind accidents on Interstate 95 and closed the roadway. There were numerous reports of trees, poles and wires down in the northern part of the county and caused outages. It took until the 10th for all power to be restored. Hardest hit were Arden, Brandywine Hundred, Newark and Wilmington. A wind gust to 62 mph was measured in Bear as the squall line moved through. A wind gust of 56 mph was also reported at the New Castle County Airport.

The combination of lightning strikes and damaging winds caused about 5,200 homes and businesses to lose power across New Castle County.

Severe thunderstorms tore down a few trees and wires across northern New Castle County from Prices Corner in Christina Hundred eastward. The combination of lightning and damaging winds caused about 5,200 homes and businesses in New Castle County to lose power.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down some large trees in and around Greenville. At least one road was blocked by fallen trees. About 8,000 homes and businesses lost power in New Castle County. There were still nearly 1,000 homes and businesses without power at 9 p.m. EDT that evening.

A second severe thunderstorm pulled down large tree limbs and wires in and around Christina Hundred. One woman and her son were trapped in her vehicle after wires were knocked down onto Kirkwood Highway. The combination of the severe thunderstorms caused about 5000 homes and businesses to lose power in New Castle County.

A cold front moved through the Great Lakes region on June 21, while Tropical Storm Claudette passed offshore of New Jersey and the Delmarva region. Ahead of the cold front, a hot, humid, and unstable air mass developed in the mid-Atlantic. A pre-frontal trough then served as a focus for widespread convection across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic during the afternoon and evening hours. With the strong instability and good forcing, much of the convection became strong to severe, taking the form of both linear and semi-discrete activity. Damaging winds were by far the primary hazard with these storms, with numerous reports of downed trees and power lines across the region. Convection weakened as it approached the coast owing to loss of daytime heating, weakening shear, and large scale subsidence on the northwest flank of Claudette.

A complex area of low pressure over the middle Atlantic, which involved several individual centers, slowly consolidated off the Virginia Capes Tuesday morning, March 20th into Wednesday March 21st along a frontal boundary. This primary low, the fourth nor'easter of the month, gradually moved northeast Wednesday night to a position southeast of the 40 North/70 West ���Benchmark��� coordinates on Thursday morning.||Rain developed across southern and central Delaware on Tuesday morning, March 20th. As this precipitation moved northward into a colder air mass, snow and sleet developed across the remainder of northern Delaware during the Tuesday afternoon hours.||Northeast winds increased throughout Tuesday, and gusted 40 to 50 mph along the Atlantic and Delaware Bay Coasts from Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning. ||Minor coastal flooding occurred along the Delaware oceanfront, as well as Delaware Bay, around the times of high tide Tuesday night, Wednesday morning, and again Wednesday night.||During Tuesday evening, a mixed bag of precipitation developed, with freezing rain, sleet, and snow, except rain closer to the coast. ||Freezing rain lead to ice accretion up to 0.20��� across portions of northern Delaware, causing downed trees and limbs, which impacted power lines, and lead to power outages.||The change over to snow progressed southeast across Delaware by late morning on Wednesday, March 21st, with the exception of Sussex County Delaware, where it did not occur until the early to mid-afternoon.||Moderate to heavy snowfall developed, and gradually overspread Delaware from Wednesday morning into the evening. Snowfall rates, particularly outside of southern Delaware, were around one inch per hour at times. The snow gradually ended from west to east around midnight. ||Snowfall amounts generally ranged 6 to 9 inches in New Castle County, 3 to 6 inches in Kent County, and 1 to 3 inches in Sussex County.||The weight of the heavy, wet snow brought down trees, limbs, and power lines across portions of Delaware, which lead to power outages.

A broad area of low pressure extending from the Ohio Valley to the Piedmont of South Carolina consolidated off the Virginia Capes during the early morning of March 7th. This new primary low moved northeast and gradually deepened as it passed east of the Delaware and New Jersey coasts on March 7th.||Precipitation gradually overspread the region during the overnight hours of March 6th into March 7th. To the east of Interstate 95, precipitation began as rain or a mix of rain and snow. Further west, precipitation fell mainly as snow. During the daylight hours of the 7th, precipitation to the east of Interstate 95 turned over to snow as colder air worked in from the north and west.||Governor John Carney issued a Level 1 Driving Warning for New Castle County beginning at 2 PM Wednesday.||Flights were cancelled at all the major airports due to the storm, and Amtrak cancelled at least some Wednesday service.||Schools, government offices, and many private business in northern Delaware were either closed on March 7th, or they closed early once the snow started.| |The snow fell heavy at times in northern New Castle County. Snowfall amounts across this area generally ranged from 6 to 12 inches, with a sharp decrease to the southeast.||The snow contained large amounts of liquid, making it heavy and wet. This led to downed trees, limbs, and wires, which resulted in numerous power outages across the area.|||An accident involving ten tractor-trailers closed all four lanes of the New Jersey bound span of the Delaware Memorial Bridge for over two hours on Wednesday, March 7th. Large amounts of snow that accumulated in a short period of time was blamed for the crash. The trucks did not actually crash into each other, rather they got stuck in the snow as they were climbing the ramp on the east-bound bridge.

A cold front stalled north of the region on March 1st. Meanwhile, a wave of low pressure developed along this front in the Ohio Valley and move eastward, explosively deepening just Southeast of Long Island on March 2nd. This large and very deep area of low pressure moved slowly just south of due East over the open waters of the North Atlantic Ocean through Sunday March 4th. This lead to a variety of weather hazards during this time frame.||Strong Northwest winds with gusts up to around 60 mph occurred on March 2nd and 3rd. This lead to widespread damage to trees and power lines, leading to extensive power outages across the region.||Minor coastal flooding over multiple tide cycles occurred along the Delaware coast March 2nd through 4th. Moderate coastal flooding occurred during the high tide on Sunday morning the 4th in Sussex County. Conversely, blowout tides occurred in portions of Delaware Bay late on March 2nd into the 3rd.||Heavy rainfall occurred over the Northern third of Delaware on March 1st and 2nd, with widespread rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches. Areal and minor small stream flooding occurred.||As the rain changed to snow on the 2nd, up to 2 inches of snowfall was observed in New Castle County Delaware.||The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) placed its Emergency Operations Center at an Enhanced Activation Level due to weather conditions.

A cold front and associated pre-frontal trough lead to the development of thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening hours. Some of the thunderstorms became severe with damaging winds. A few thousand people lost power. A couple of additional Severe thunderstorms occurred on 7/20.

A trough of low pressure moving through the region produced a quick moving line of thunderstorms around noontime. These thunderstorms produced widespread wind damage across the northern portions of Delaware with numerous power outages.

Low pressure off the North Carolina coast intensified as it moved northeast. With cold air in place courtesy of high pressure to the north, snow overspread the Delmarva during the early morning hours, continuing in some spots to about mid day. Accumulations were highest south of the C&D canal, and on grassy surfaces compared to road surfaces. However, because snow fell before and during the morning commute, travel was impacted to some degree by this event, and some schools opened late or closed altogether for the day. Scattered Power outages occurred in the Lewes area due to the snow.

A strong low pressure system moving north through the Great Lakes region, combined with its associated warm front and cold front, copious amounts of moisture, and low level jet, produced strong to severe thunderstorms, heavy rain, flash flooding, and stream flooding in Delaware late Wednesday afternoon and evening, February 24th, with stream flooding continuing into Thursday, February 25th. Hundreds of power outages were also reported across the state.

An impulse from the west coast traversed the midsection of the country, then developed into a low pressure system as it tracked across the Gulf states before intensifying along the Carolina coast into a major nor'easter, producing record or near record snowfall through a good part of Delaware. It then moved out to sea after passing by the mid-Atlantic coast early on January 24th. ||Snow began falling during the mid afternoon hours on Friday, January 22nd, then continued, heavy at times, Friday night into early Sunday morning. Wind gusts up to 60 MPH produced near-blizzard conditions as visibilities dropped to one-quarter mile or less in spots. Some representative snowfall totals include: 16.3 inches in Talleyville, 14.8 in Hockessin, 12.0 in Claymont, 11.2 in Prices Corner, and 10.5 in Newport, all in New Castle County. In Kent County, reports include 17.2 inches in Woodside, 14.8 in Harrington, 14.2 in Dover, 12.0 in Magnolia, and 9.7 in Smyrna. In Sussex County, reports include 8.8 in Laurel, 7.8 near Georgetown, 7.0 in Seaford, 5.2 in Bethany Beach, 4.2 in Milton, and 3.0 in Rehoboth Beach.||Some wind gusts include 75 MPH at 0735EST on the 23rd in Dewey Beach, 64 MPH at 0512EST on the 23rd at Sussex County Airport in Georgetown, 50 MPH at 0730EST on the 23rd in Rehoboth Beach, and 53 MPH at 0551EST on the 23rd at New Castle County Airport. ||A 44-year-old male from Magnolia (Kent County) died while shoveling snow around his home on January 23rd.||At one point during the storm, up to 117,000 customers were without power. Outages were concentrated closer to the coast where the strongest winds occurred. ||The Delaware Department of Transportation spent approximately $3.5 million dollars to clear and maintain the state's highways and roadways. ||Moderate to major flooding occurred along the Delaware coast and associated back bays during this event. Record flooding was recorded in many spots, including the ocean front at Lewes. Route 1 was closed between Dewey Beach and the Indian River Bridge due to flooding. Beach erosion was extensive, but property damage was minimal considering the record water levels during this event. Some damage was noted on the boardwalk on the north end of Rehoboth beach from Grenoble place to Surf avenue totaling from 150 to 400 K. After viewing the beach areas, Governor Markell noted the importance of investments in beach replenishment and dunes in limiting damage in this storm. Sand dunes and Stormwater pipes were damaged as well and Delaware is looking for $2.5M in disaster relief. The day after the storm subsided, the Small Business Development Center extended an offer of free services to help businesses impacted by the storm to get up and running again, but a week after the storm, no businesses have taken the center up on the offer. Damage estimates total $0.13 million in New Castle County, $0.553 million in Kent County, and $0.778 million in Sussex County. These estimates do not include damage to beaches maintained by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, which include Dewey and Lewes Beaches. ||Delaware Governor Jack Markell declared a State of Emergency beginning 5 PM Friday, January 22nd, which ended at midnight Sunday night. Schools and many businesses recessed early on Friday afternoon in anticipation of the storm. On March 16t 2016, President Obama declared the state of Delaware a federal disaster area. This declaration makes federal funding available on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storm. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. This declaration does not provide funding for beach replenishment made necessary by erosion caused by the storm. ||The combination of a strong onshore flow and high astronomical tides associated with a coincident full moon produced record tidal flooding along the Delaware coast and lower Delaware Bay during the morning high tide cycle on Saturday, January 23rd. The NOS gauge at Breakwater Harbor (Lewes) peaked at 9.27 feet MLLW at 812 AM. This broke the previous record of 9.2 ft MLLW set on March 6, 1962. A prolonged onshore flow through three consecutive tide cycles produced moderate flooding for the Saturday evening high tide, and minor flooding for the Sunday morning high tide. This prolonged onshore flow also produced flooding in the back bay areas.

A line of strong to severe thunderstorms formed in the warm sector of the Maryland panhandle moved through Delaware during the evening on the 9th. The line also spawned an EF-0 tornado in New Castle County. About 3,700 homes and businesses lost power in New Castle County. All power was restored by the evening of the 10th. A warm front lifted northeast into central New Jersey during the afternoon of the 9th. This permitted sufficient daytime heating preceding an approaching cold front. In addition, there was enough shear in the atmosphere for a tornado to occur.

The combination of an unseasonably hot and humid air mass, an approaching cold front and strong winds aloft caused a squall line of strong to severe thunderstorms to move through Delaware during the late afternoon and early evening of the 23rd. Hardest hit was the northern part of the state. A wind gust of 66 mph was recorded at the New Castle County Airport. Delmarva Power and Light reported 63,000 of its customers lost power on the Delmarva Peninsula (14,000 in New Castle County) and it took until the 26th to fully restore power in Delaware. Verizon phone service was also interrupted.

Double barrel low pressure systems brought a winter storm to Delaware on the 1st. A combination of snow, sleet and especially freezing rain affected the state mainly during the second half of the day on the 1st. Snowfall amounts were around an inch, but around one quarter of an inch of ice accumulated on exposed surfaces and caused scattered power outages. In addition, the icy precipitation combination caused numerous accidents.||Precipitation started as snow between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. EST on the 1st throughout most of Delaware. Precipitation changed briefly to sleet in Kent and Sussex Counties and for a more protracted period in New Castle County starting during the late morning on the 1st. Precipitation changed to all freezing rain in Sussex County around Noon EST, Kent County during the early afternoon and New Castle County by mid afternoon on the 1st. Precipitation changed to plain rain in Sussex County during the early evening on the 1st, but remained freezing rain in the rest of the state until it ended in the middle of the evening on the 1st. ||Delaware State police responded to about 130 traffic accidents, 13 with injuries and around 25 disabled vehicles. Delmarva Power reported about 3,900 of its customers lost power because of downed tree limbs and wires in Delaware and Eastern Maryland. The greatest concentration in Delaware was around Felton in Kent County. Many schools had delayed openings on Monday March 2nd, some schools cancelled classes.| |Representative ice accumulation included 0.33 inches in Pike Creek (New Castle County), 0.25 inches in Camden (Kent County), Frankford (Sussex County) and Newark (New Castle County) and 0.20 inches at the New Castle County Airport.||Representative snowfall (and sleet) included 1.0 inch in Greenville (New Castle County), 0.8 inches in Frederica (Kent County), 0.6 inches in Felton (Kent County), 0.5 inches in Bridgeville and Seaford (Sussex County) and 0.3 inches at the New Castle County Airport.||The winter storm was caused by the combination of an arctic high pressure system that left plenty of cold air in place near the surface and a low pressure system from the South that pumped precipitation into the region. At 7 a.m. EST on the 1st, a pair of low pressure systems were in Mississippi and the western Gulf of Mexico off the Texas coast. During the early afternoon, while the low pressure system moved into the Tennessee Valley, a new low pressure system was forming off of the South Carolina coast. The latter low pressure system moved rapidly northeast and was off the New Jersey coast at 7 p.m. EST on the 1st while the latter low pressure system became part of a series of lows along a cold front west of the Appalachians. The coastal low pressure system passed near Nantucket, Massachusetts around Midnight EST on the 2nd. It took most of the associated moisture and precipitation with it as the inland low pressure systems and frontal boundary weakened overnight.

The increasing pressure difference (gradient) between a rapidly intensifying low pressure system offshore and an arctic high pressure system moving east from the Great Lakes caused high damaging northwest winds to occur in Delaware during the pre-dawn hours on the 15th. Strong wind gusts started during the second half of the evening on the 14th, peaked overnight and continued into the early afternoon of the 15th. Peak wind gusts averaged 50 to 60 mph and knocked down or snapped numerous trees and tree limbs. This caused downed wires and power outages. About 10,000 homes and businesses lost power. The strong to high winds also hampered road crews trying to keep roadways clear from the snow that fell on the 14th. It also ushered into Delaware one of the coldest air masses of the entire winter season.||About 10,000 homes and businesses lost power in Delaware, with the greatest concentration of outages in and around Odessa in New Castle County. All power was restored by the evening of the 15th. Church services were cancelled as was service on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. The Brandywine Zoo (New Castle County) was closed. ||Peak wind gusts included 68 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 61 mph in Brandywine Hundred (New Castle County), 57 mph in Bellefont (New Castle County), 54 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 53 mph in Milton (Sussex County) and 51 mph in Dover (Kent County).||The high winds were caused by the increasing pressure gradient (difference) between the rapidly intensifying offshore low pressure system and a high pressure system over the western Great Lakes. The low pressure system deepened (intensified) from 996 millibars at 7 p.m. EST on the 14th to 978 millibars at 7 a.m. EST on the 15th, 972 millibars at 1 p.m. EST on the 15th and 962 millibars as it passed through Nova Scotia at 7 p.m. EST on the 15th. The arctic high pressure system also was quite strong and averaged 1042 millibars while the highest winds were occurring. The strong to high winds ceased on the afternoon of the 15th when the low pressure system was sufficiently east of Delaware (and the high pressure system reached Michigan) for the strongest pressure gradient to move offshore.

Strong gusty northwest winds occurred behind a secondary cold frontal passage in Delaware during the evening and overnight on the 12th. Peak wind gusts averaged 45 to 50 mph. Where the strongest winds occurred, some weak tree limbs and power lines were knocked down and isolated power outages occurred. Peak wind gusts included 52 mph in Glasgow (New Castle County), 48 mph at the New Castle County Airport and 48 mph in Lewes (Sussex County). The strong gusty winds were the result of a combination of an intensifying low pressure that developed on the cold front east of New Jersey and an approaching high pressure system from the Mississippi Valley. The pressure gradient (difference) was maximized during the evening and winds decreased once the high pressure system reached the Ohio Valley on the morning of the 13th.

Strong, gusty northwest winds occurred in the wake of a departing and intensifying low pressure system during the late afternoon into the middle of the evening on the 2nd in Delaware. Peak wind gusts average 45 to 50 mph and knocked down weak trees, tree limbs and power lines and caused isolated power outages. Peak winds included 52 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 50 mph in Harrington (Kent County), 47 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 47 mph at Rehoboth Beach (Sussex County), 46 mph at the Dover Air Force Base (Kent County) and Milton (Sussex County) and 40 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County). The strong winds occurred as a low pressure system south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts started to intensify more rapidly as it moved northeast on the evening of the 2nd. This increased the pressure gradient (difference) between it and an approaching high pressure system from the central Mississippi Valley. As the low pressure system approached the Canadian Maritimes during the second half of that evening, the pressure gradient weakened and winds started to slowly decrease.

A strong cold frontal passage brought strong winds into Delaware during the evening and overnight on the 4th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and knocked down weak tree limbs, trees and wires and caused isolated power outages. Peak wind gusts included 52 mph in Middletown (New Castle County), 48 mph in Dover (Kent County), 46 mph at the Indian River Inlet (Sussex County), 44 mph in Lewes (Sussex County) and 43 mph at the New Castle County Airport.

An intense low pressure that passed east of the Delmarva Peninsula overnight on the 1st combined with an approaching high pressure system to extend strong winds throughout the rest of Delaware during the morning of the 2nd. Peak wind gusts averaged 45 to 50 mph and knocked down weak trees, tree limbs and wires and caused isolated power outages. The tree limb damage was exacerbated by many trees still having leaves as October was unseasonably warm. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 1,600 of its customers lost power in New Castle County. ||Peak wind gusts included 49 mph in Smyrna (Kent County), 48 mph in Ellendale (Sussex County) and 45 mph in Dover (Kent County) and the New Castle County Airport. A developing low pressure over the Carolinas moved offshore on the morning of November 1st. As it passed east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina during the early evening of November 1st, the pressure gradient (difference) between it and a high pressure system in the Mississippi Valley started to increase and winds became stronger. They became stronger along the Delaware coast first and the strong winds then spread inland. This pressure difference maximized during the morning of the 2nd. At 7 a.m. EST on November 2nd, the low pressure system was well east of the New Jersey coast and as it reached the coastal waters east of Massachusetts that afternoon, strong winds ceased across Delaware (Please look at a separate stormdata entry for coastal Sussex County).

An approaching cold front and a hot and humid air mass combined to trigger a series some strong to locally severe thunderstorms that passed over the northern part of Delaware during the evening of the 2nd. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 150 of its customers in Cecil and New Castle Counties were still without power during the early morning of the 3rd.

A slow moving warm front and a low pressure system that formed along it that enhanced the convergence brought flooding rains to northern Delaware during the afternoon and in particular the evening of the 12th. The heavy rain saturated the soil and a few shallow rooted trees fell down. About 1,000 homes and businesses lost power. A series of thunderstorms with very heavy rain formed and moved along the warm frontal boundary. The rain did not end until an occluded front neared Delaware overnight on the 12th. Numerous showers and thunderstorms started during the late morning of the 12th and the heaviest rain fell during the afternoon and early evening. The rain ended early on the 13th. Event precipitation totals averaged 2 to 4 inches with the highest amounts in central New Castle County.||In addition to the fresh water flooding, the onshore flow combined with unusually high spring tides associated with the full moon to produce the most widespread minor tidal flooding during the evening and overnight high tide cycle on the 12th. This extended up the Delaware Bay and Delaware River. Some minor tidal flooding also occurred during the evening high tide cycles on the 10th and 11th, but the high tides were lower. The highest tides occurred on the 12th and included: 6.30 feet above mean lower low water in Lewes (Sussex County), minor tidal flooding starts at 6.0 feet above mean lower low water; 7.60 feet above mean lower low water at Reedy Island (New Castle County); minor tidal flooding starts at 7.2 feet above mean lower low water.

A squall line of strong to severe thunderstorms affected New Castle County the hardest as it moved through Delaware during the evening of the 8th. At least three houses were damaged by fallen trees in New Castle County. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 19,000 of its customers lost power from Smyrna (Kent County) north in Delaware. About 1,600 homes and businesses were still without power on the morning of the 9th.

A very strong cold front and strong winds above the ground helped produce supercell type thunderstorms across Delaware during the second half of the afternoon on the 22nd. One confirmed tornado, large and destructive hail and pockets of wind damage occurred throughout the state. The confirmed tornado with two injuries occurred in West Dover Hundred in Kent County. Over 3,000 homes and businesses lost power throughout the state.

Strong northwest winds followed a strong cold frontal passage in Delaware starting on the afternoon of the 15th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph and coupled with the rain knocked down some weak tree limbs and wires and caused isolated power outages. While the strongest winds occurred during the second half of the afternoon on the 15th in interior Delaware, strong northwest winds persisted through the night of the 15th along Delaware Bay. Peak wind gusts included 49 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 46 mph in Lewes (Sussex County) and 44 mph in Smyrna (Kent County). The strong gusty winds were caused by the pressure gradient (difference) between the cold front and the approaching high pressure system over the lower Ohio Valley. When the high pressure system reached the upper Ohio Valley on the morning of the 16th, the strong winds ceased.

The strong pressure gradient (difference) between an intensifying strong low pressure system and a high pressure system in the Ohio Valley caused strong to high northwest winds to occur across Delaware from the evening of the 12th following a cold frontal passage through the daytime hours on the 13th. The highest winds occurred overnight on the 12th. Peak wind gusts averaged 50 to 60 mph and knocked down weak tree limbs, trees and power lines. Scattered power outages occurred and affected the city of Wilmington. A pole fire occurred in Elsmere (New Castle County). Peak wind gusts included 62 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 55 mph in Dewey Beach (Sussex County), 54 mph in Milton (Sussex County), 53 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 50 mph in Bellevue (New Castle County), 49 mph in Harrington (Kent County) and Dover (Kent County), 48 mph in Ellendale (Sussex County) and 46 mph in Newark (New Castle County).||The low pressure system responsible for the strong winds emerged from the Rockies on the evening of the 10th. It reached central Missouri on the evening of the 11th and western Pennsylvania on the afternoon of the 12th. It already was an intense 984 millibar low pressure system. The northeast moving 982 millibar low pressure system reached central New Jersey at 8 p.m. EDT on the 12th as its cold front was moving through Delaware. The 981 millibar low pressure system was near Boston, Massachusetts at 11 p.m. EDT on the 12th and reached Nova Scotia as a 976 millibar low pressure system at 5 a.m. EDT on the 13th. It continued to move northeast through the Canadian Maritimes during the day on the 13th and very slowly weakened. By evening on the 13th, the high pressure system was close enough to Delaware that the pressure gradient (difference) weakened and the strong winds stopped.

Strong to high northeast to east winds associated with the coastal low pressure system occurred across Delaware during the morning of the 13th. While these winds were strong enough to change the snow to rain, they also helped cause minor tidal flooding during the morning high tide cycle in Delaware Bay and along the Atlantic Coast. The winds also tore down weak tree limbs and wires and caused power outages. The combination of the wind and snow caused about 6,900 Delmarva Power and Light customers to lose power, most in New Castle County. ||Peak wind gusts included 58 mph in Lewes and Dewey Beach (Sussex County), 52 mph in Harrington (Kent County), 51 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County), 46 mph at the New Castle County Airport, Newark (New Castle County) and Indian River (Sussex County) and 44 mph in Dover (Kent County). The highest tide reached 6.89 feet above mean lower low water at Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County). Minor tidal flooding starts at 6.0 feet above mean lower low water. Moderate tidal flooding starts at 7.0 feet above mean lower low water.||The strong winds and the subsequent trigger for minor tidal flooding were caused by a low pressure system that moved northeast along the seaboard on the 13th. The strongest pressure gradient (difference) between the approaching low pressure system and a departing high pressure system south of the Canadian Maritimes was maximized during the morning of the 13th.

A winter storm dropped heavy snow and sleet across central and in particular northwestern Delaware. Snowfall and sleet averaged less than 3 inches in Sussex County, 3 to 8 inches in Kent County and 8 to 16 inches in New Castle County.||Snow began in Delaware between 8 p.m. EST and 9 p.m. EST on the 12th. Three bands of heavy snow, in which snowfall rates averaged two to three inches per hour, formed in northern Kent County and southern New Castle County and moved northward through Delaware between 2 a.m. EST and 8 a.m. EST on the 13th. The snow changed to rain in Sussex County between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. EST on the 13th, Kent County around 6 a.m. EST on the 13th and in New Castle County after the last snow and sleet band moved through at 8 a.m. EST on the 13th. Thunderstorms also occurred with the rain during the late afternoon and early evening of the 13th. As the low pressure system moved offshore, precipitation changed back to snow during the middle of the evening on the 13th and the last band of snow exited Delaware shortly after Midnight EST on the 14th.||Schools, malls, businesses, government, state and local offices as well as municipal courts never opened on the 13th. Because the heavy snow started early in the morning, the number of accidents and calls for assistance was less than usual. Delaware State Police responded to around 60 accidents, 6 with injuries as well as about 40 disabled vehicles. The combination of snow and wind caused about 6,900 Delmarva Power and Light customers to lose power, most in New Castle County. One of the hardest hit businesses were florists as the heavy snow wreaked havoc on the flower deliveries for Valentine's Day. The latest event strained municipal budgets further and increased the shortage of salt supplies in the region. ||Representative snowfall included 16.0 inches in Newark (New Castle County), 14.4 inches in Greenville (New Castle County), 12.9 inches in Pike Creek (New Castle County), 12.5 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 11.7 inches in Talleyville (New Castle County), 11.5 inches in Hockessin (New Castle County), 9.5 inches in Newport (New Castle County), 7.4 inches in Dover (Kent County), 4.6 inches in Viola (Kent County), 3.3 inches in Harrington (Kent County), 2.1 inches in Ellendale (Sussex County) and 1.2 inches in Bridgeville (Sussex County).||The winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on the 11th and moved east on the 12th. This was preceded by an arctic high pressure system that passed over the Middle Atlantic States that same day and left plenty of initial cold, dry air in place. A new low pressure system formed east of Florida on the 12th and would become the primary low pressure system for the event. It moved northeast and was near Wilmington, North Carolina at 7 p.m. EST on the 12th. From there, it continued northnortheast and passed near Elizabeth City, North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 13th. Once it reached the Atlantic Ocean again, it started to intensify rapidly and reached the Delmarva coastal waters early in the afternoon on the 13th. At 7 p.m. EST on the 13th, the low pressure system was off the New Jersey coast and deepened to 986 millibars (11 millibar drop in 12 hours). From there the low pressure system moved northeast and intensified even more rapidly as it passed just east of Long Island, New York and passed near Boston, Massachusetts as a 976 millibar low pressure system at 4 a.m. EST on the 14th. This low pressure system deepened to 968 millibars at 10 a.m. EST on the 14th while over Maine before finally leveling off. The close pass to the Delaware coast permitted this low pressure system to bring in above freezing (milder) air into Delaware and changed precipitation over to plain rain for a while during the event.

A low pressure system from the Gulf of Mexico and cold air at ground level brought a wintry mix of sleet and primarily freezing rain to Kent and New Castle Counties overnight on the 4th. New Castle County bore the brunt of winter related problems in the state. Precipitation started as sleet during the late evening on the 4th and changed quickly over to freezing rain within an hour of the start. Precipitation then changed to plain rain from south to north between 4 a.m. EST and 6 a.m. EST on the 5th. Sleet accumulations were mainly traces. Ice accumulations averaged less than one tenth of an inch in Kent County, but one tenth to one quarter of an inch in New Castle County. Prior to the changeover, untreated roadways were very hazardous. In New Castle County, power outages occurred as the ice brought down weak tree limbs and trees, especially pine trees. Delmarva Power reported about 10,000 homes and businesses lost power in New Castle County. Brandywine Hundred residents were the last to have power restored late on the 7th. In Christina Hundred, a downed tree closed Adams Dam Road. Delaware State Police reported about a dozen traffic accidents in New Castle County. ||The wintry precipitation was caused by a low pressure system that formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on the morning of the 4th and a surface high pressure system that passed over the region and helped initially lock in cold air near the surface. This low pressure system moved northeast and reached Mississippi during the early evening of the 4th and the Tennessee River Valley around Midnight EST on the 5th. About the same time, a secondary low pressure system was forming on the primary low's warm front off the North Carolina coast. Both low pressure systems in tandem proceeded to move northeast and at 7 a.m. EST on the 5th, the primary low pressure system was over southeast Ohio with the secondary low pressure system off the Delaware coast. As is typically the case, the primary low pressure system weakened and reached western Pennsylvania during the early afternoon on the 5th while the now stronger secondary low pressure system was just off of Long Beach Island on the New Jersey coast. This secondary low pressure system intensified as it rapidly moved northeast and was southeast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts at 4 p.m. EST on the 5th. What was left of the primary low pressure system trundled across Eastern Pennsylvania and Northern New Jersey during the late afternoon and early evening of the 5th.

Snow fell across northern Delaware mainly from the early morning through the late afternoon on the 3rd. While some precipitation fell as rain, enough snow accumulated to cause slippery traveling conditions and numerous accidents to occur. Snow accumulated mainly in the northern part of New Castle County. ||Precipitation began falling shortly after midnight on the 3rd. In New Castle County, it changed over to snow close to Noon EST on the 3rd. The change to snow took progressively longer farther south in Delaware and it barely changed to snow before it ended. The snow ended between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. EST that afternoon. Sixteen property damage accidents and one disabled vehicle were reported by the State Police in New Castle County. The main roadways remained largely clear but secondary roadways were reported to be snow covered. Also the snow caused a handful of power outages within New Castle County. ||Representative snowfall totals included 3.0 inches in Newark, 2.7 inches in Greenville and Pike Creek, 2.4 inches in Claymont, 2.2 inches in Hockessin, 2.0 inches in Mount Cuba and 1.0 inches at the New Castle County Airport in Wilmington.||The snow was caused by a low pressure system that formed on a cold front in eastern Texas on the morning of the 2nd. The low moved northeast and reach Mississippi on the evening of the 2nd, western North Carolina on the morning of the 3rd, the Delmarva coastal waters during the afternoon on the 3rd and then moved quickly offshore. As the precipitation intensity increased and colder air moved into the state, the rain changed to snow.

A winter storm dropped heavy snow in central and northern Delaware and a wintry mix in Sussex County from the 21st into the morning of the 22nd. The winter storm affected New Castle County the hardest. Delaware Governor Jack Markell declared a limited state of emergency. Delaware State Police reported that the winter storm caused over 100 traffic related accidents (around 15 with injuries), most in New Castle County and included three tractor-trailers jack-knifing. Delaware Electric Cooperative reported that 6,800 of its customers lost power throughout the state. ||The winter storm was caused by a quick moving clipper system that tracked out of the Great Lakes region and began transferring its energy to the developing coastal low, resulting in rapid intensification. This strengthening low pressure moved northeast through the afternoon of the 21st, allowing multiple bands of heavy snow to traverse across portions of northern Delaware. By late day, the coastal low emerged east of the Delmarva Peninsula and quickly moved off towards New England, bringing an end to the snow from west to east across the region overnight on the 21st. ||Along and near the Interstate 95 corridor, temperatures were cold enough for rapid accumulation, and a narrow band of heavy snow developed in this vicinity, extending across northern Delaware. Within this general area, snowfall rates reached 2 to 3 inches per hour for a time during the midday hours of the 21st. This resulted in snowfall of 8 to 12 inches in New Castle County, around 6 inches in Kent County and 1 to 4 inches in Sussex County. Snowfall totals were held down in southern Delaware as temperatures were marginal for larger snow accumulations, and several hours of mixing with rain and sleet were reported.||Representative snowfall totals included 12.0 inches in Bear (New Castle County), 11.6 inches in Newark (New Castle County), 11.5 inches in Greenville (New Castle County), 10.5 inches at the New Castle County Airport in Wilmington (New Castle County), 10.1 inches in Hockessin (New Castle County), 9.7 inches in Glasgow (New Castle County), 9.2 inches in Prices Corner (New Castle County), 8.6 inches in New Castle (New Castle County), 8.3 inches in Claymont (New Castle County), 8.1 inches in Mount Cuba (New Castle County), 7.5 inches in Townsend (New Castle County), 7.0 inches in Newport (New Castle County), 6.3 inches in Harrington (Kent County), 5.8 inches in Dover (Kent County), 5.0 inches in Woodside (Kent County), 4.0 inches in Selbyville (Sussex County), 3.8 inches in Viola (Kent County), 3.4 inches in Ellendale (Sussex County), 3.2 inches in Harbeson (Sussex County), 3.1 inches in Delmar (Sussex County), 2.8 inches in Seaford (Sussex County), 2.5 inches in Milton (Sussex County), 2.3 inches in Stockley (Sussex County), 2.0 inches in Lewes (Sussex County), 1.5 inches in Bridgeville (Sussex County), and 1.0 inch in Laurel (Sussex County).

A wintry mix of sleet and mainly freezing rain caused numerous accidents during the morning commute on the 10th in the northern half of Delaware before precipitation changed to plain rain later that morning. Delamrva Power and Light reported about 120 of its customers lost power, mainly due to traffic accidents knocking down poles or wires. Most of the power was restored by Noon EST that day. Precipitation in the northern half of the state started briefly as sleet between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m EST and then changed to freezing rain. The freezing rain changed to plain rain around 10 a.m. EST and the rain ended during that afternoon. Ice accumulations averaged around one tenth of an inch.| |Motorists were involved in dozens of crashes. The majority were caused by drivers losing control and spinning out or running off roadways because of the ice. But, three of the accidents were roll-overs including one on Interstate 95 in New Castle County. Delaware State Police reported about 45 vehicle accidents in Kent and New Castle Counties: six with minor injuries in New Castle County and three with minor injuries in Kent County. Nine vehicular accidents were reported in Wilmington. In one accident involving multiple injuries, the driver of an empty school bus struck an SUV attempting to make a left hand turn in front of it collided at the intersection of Marsh Road and the Washington Street Extension in Wilmington. Elsewhere in New Castle County, accidents closed Porter and Howell School Roads in Glasgow. Accidents on Blackbird Station Road near Townsend knocked down utility wires. In Kent County, both drivers were injured in a head-on collision on Pearsons Corner Road west of Dover. | |The predominately freezing rain wintry mix was caused by the combination of an approaching warm front and the return flow off the Atlantic Ocean from the departing arctic high. Extremely cold weather preceding this event made it easier for the rain to freeze on contact, even in places where air temperatures were slightly above freezing.

One of the harshest arctic outbreaks in years occurred in Delaware on the 7th. Record breaking calendar day low temperatures occurred and combined with strong northwest winds produced wind chill factors as low as 10 to 20 degrees below zero in most areas that morning. High temperatures struggled to reach double digits. The excessive cold caused many schools to have delayed openings. AAA Mid-Atlantic reported an 81 percent increase in service calls, mainly for dead batteries. Amtrak reported extensive delays in its rail service. The cold weather also affected power supplies. PJM Interconnection, the agency that oversees the electric grid supplying the region, said electricity suppliers were struggling to keep up with surging demand as the cold forced some power plants to shut. An all-time winter record usage was recorded at 8 a.m. EST on the 7th, 138,600 megawatts surpassing the previous record from 2007. Utilities asked their customers where possible to switch to diesel or fuel oil. | |The low temperature of 3 degrees above zero at the New County Castle Airport was the coldest reading of the winter season and also the coldest day since January 28, 2005 when the low temperature dropped to 1 degree above zero. Other actual low temperatures included 8 degrees in Georgetown (Sussex County), 7 degrees in Rehoboth Beach (Sussex County), 6 degrees in Redden (Sussex County), 5 degrees in Dover (Kent County), 4 degrees in Smyrna (New Castle County), 2 degrees in Glasgow (New Castle County) and 1 degree in Newark (New Castle County). ||Lowest hourly wind chill factors included (they all occurred during the morning of the 7th) 18 degrees below zero at the New Castle County Airport, 17 degrees below zero in Dover (Kent County) and 9 degrees below zero in Georgetown (Sussex County).

A winter storm dropped 4 to 8 inches of snow across Delaware from the late afternoon of the 2nd into the morning of the 3rd. This caused hazardous traveling conditions for the evening commute on the 2nd and the morning commute on the 3rd. Even after the snow ended, gusty northwest winds that continued through the day on the 3rd caused considerable blowing and drifting of the snow and made it difficult for road crews to keep roadways snow-free. After one day of classes after the winter break, many schools were closed again on the 3rd. In addition, many city, county and state offices as well as some businesses were also closed on the 3rd. The strong winds that occurred along the Sussex County coast helped cause minor tidal flooding. The combination of snow and wind caused more than 7,000 Delmarva Power and Light and Delaware Electric Cooperative customers to lose power. Most power was restored by Noon EST on the 3rd. The strong winds on the 3rd were also problematical as they caused considerable blowing and drifting of the snow. Delaware State Police reported over 100 traffic accidents and around 150 disabled vehicles. In New Castle County, at the height of the storm many major roadways were down to having just one lane open. In Kent County, Millington Road (Delaware State Route 6) in Clayton, Brenford Road in Smyrna and Whitehall neck Road in East Dover Hundred were closed. In Sussex County, downed wires closed Hardscrabble Road between Seaford and Millsboro. Several roads in the northern part of the county were impassable on the morning of the 3rd. ||Precipitation started during the late afternoon of the 2nd. It started as snow in New Castle County, briefly as rain in Kent County and as rain in Sussex County. In Sussex County, the rain changed to sleet and then quickly to snow during the middle of the evening. The snow fell at a fairly steady rate through the night and ended from the southwest part of Sussex County to the northeast part of New Castle County between 4 a.m. EST and 7 a.m. EST on the 3rd. Representative snowfall totals included 7.5 inches in Woodside (Kent County), 7.2 inches in Townsend (New Castle County), 6.8 inches in Milton (Sussex County), 6.4 inches in Prices Corner (New Castle County), 6.2 inches in Dover (Kent County) and Newark (New Castle County), 6.0 inches at the New Castle County Airport and 4.8 inches in Stockley (Sussex County). Peak wind gusts on the 3rd included 51 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 43 mph at the New Castle County Airport and 37 mph at Dover Air Force Base.||Widespread minor tidal flooding occurred with the morning high tide on the 3rd in Sussex County and parts of Kent County. In Sussex County, Slaughter Beach Road and Bay Avenue were both flooded. The high tide at Breakwater Harbor in Sussex County reached 6.82 feet above mean lower low water on the morning of the 3rd. Minor tidal flooding starts at 6.0 feet above mean lower low water and moderate tidal flooding starts at 7.0 feet above mean lower low water.||The winter storm was caused by a rapidly intensifying low pressure system. The low was moving through the Ohio River Valley on the morning of the 2nd. Meanwhile an arctic high pressure system near Montreal supplied an ample supply of fresh cold air. At 1 p.m. EST that afternoon, the low pressure system reached West Virginia. From there, it reformed farther to the southeast and was over northern North Carolina at 7 p.m. EST that evening and passed east of Elizabeth City, North Carolina around 9 p.m. EST. Once it reached the coast, it started to intensify rapidly as it moved eastnortheast. The low pressure system went from 998 millibars at 10 p.m. EST on the 2nd to 981 millibars located at 40 degrees north latitude and 65 degrees west longitude at 7 a.m. EST on the 3rd.

A convective complex of showers and strong to severe thunderstorms trailing an advancing warm front caused wind damage and flash flooding in New Castle County during the morning of the 13th. The combination of flooding and damaging winds caused more than 15,000 Delmarva Power and Light customers to lose power in northern Delaware and Maryland. About 1,200 customers were still without power that afternoon. The thunderstorms also caused twenty to forty minute delays in Amtrak Service between Wilmington and Baltimore.

An approaching cold front helped trigger a series of strong to severe thunderstorms across Delaware during the afternoon and evening of the 28th. The most severe storms affected New Castle County. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 3,000 homes and businesses lost power in the state and power was not fully restored until the 29th.

An upper air disturbance combined with a hot and humid air mass to produce strong to severe thunderstorms across Delaware during the second half of the afternoon and the evening on the 24th. The strongest storms affected New Castle County during the evening. Approximately 2,500 Delmarva Power and Light customers lost power. Power was restored by the 25th. There were also some reports of hail with the thunderstorms as the freezing level aloft was relatively low in height above the ground. Most of the hail was small (less than half an inch).

An approaching cold front and lee side trof helped trigger strong to locally severe thunderstorms across Delaware during the afternoon and evening of the 17th with New Castle County affected the most. The thunderstorms also produced small hail. About 11,000 Delmarva Power and Light customers lost power. As off 11 p.m. EDT more than half were still without power. The outages were concentrated in and around Wilmington.

An intense nor'easter brought strong to high northeast winds across Delaware on the 6th as well as minor to moderate tidal flooding in central and lower Delaware Bay. The coastal flooding caused a new breach along Delaware State Route 1 and flooded other roadways. The coastal flooding was exacerbated by wave action as waves at Bethany Beach reached 12 feet. Voluntary evacuations were encouraged for flood prone areas in Kent and Sussex Counties. Peak wind gusts reached around 70 mph and downed trees, tree limbs and wires and caused some structural damage. About 10,000 homes and businesses lost power, hardest hit were Kent and Sussex Counties. Some schools throughout the state were closed on the 6th. At least minor tidal flooding persisted into the morning high tide cycle on the 10th. This was the greatest and most persistent tidal flooding to affect the Delaware coast since Hurricane Sandy last October. ||Minor tidal flooding started with the high tide cycle on the morning of the 6th. Moderate tidal flooding occurred with both the afternoon high tide cycle on the 6th and the morning high tide cycle on the 7th. Minor tidal flooding also occurred with both high tide cycles on the 8th. The highest tide at Breakwater Harbor reached 7.38 feet above mean lower low water. Moderate tidal flooding starts at 7.0 feet above mean lower low water. ||The coastal flooding closed approximately 15 roads in Kent and Sussex Counties. In Sussex County, waves breached a dune north of the Indian River Inlet Bridge and forced the closure of Delaware State Route 1 between Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach as well as the Indian River Inlet Bridge. The roadway remained closed through the 7th. In Bethany Beach, roadways north of Delaware State Route 26 were closed. Northeast of Milton, Prime Hook Road was closed and remained closed through March 13th. In Lewes (Sussex County), the Canal Bridge, Canry Creek Road and New Road were all flooded. Flooded roadways were also reported in Broadkill Beach, Angola and Oak Orchard (River and Oak Orchard Roads). In Kent County, roadways were flooded and closed at Big Stone Beach, Bennett's Park, Pickering Beach, Kitt Hummock, Woodland Beach, South Bowers Beach, Bowers Beach and Port Mahon Road. Inland flooding affected Delaware State Route 9, Cypress Branch Road and Magnolia Road south of Dover. ||Northeast winds intensified as the morning of the 6th continued and reached their peak during the afternoon. As winds slowly backed to the north late that afternoon, wind speeds diminished. The high winds tore shingles from homes in Bear (New Castle County). High winds also damaged a home in Rehoboth Beach (Sussex County). The high winds littered numerous Kent County roadways with tree debris. The high winds forced the Cape May-Lewes Ferry to cancel four Delaware Bay crossings on the 6th. Normal ferry service resumed on the 7th. ||Peak wind gusts included 71 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 66 mph in Dewey Beach (Sussex County), 64 mph in Odessa (New Castle County), 61 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County), 58 mph in Milton (Sussex County), 55 mph in Bear (New Castle County), 54 mph in Harrington (Kent County), 49 mph in Dover (Kent County) and 48 mph at the New Castle County Airport. ||The nor'easter low pressure system emerged from the southern Rockies on the 4th and moved into the Tennessee Valley on the morning of the 5th, passed across the southern Appalachians during the evening of the 5th and reached northeastern North Carolina on the morning of the 6th. From there it slowly moved northeast and was off the Delmarva Peninsula on the afternoon of the 6th. It then drifted slowly offshore to the east that evening and that motion continued on the 7th and 8th. The low pressure system was not that intense overall (never deepened to less than 985 millibars near the coast), but a strong high pressure system that was located over southeastern Canada helped intensify the surface pressure gradient (difference) throughout this event.

A rapidly intensifying ocean storm that moved south to north over the western Atlantic produced strong gusty west to northwest winds from the afternoon on the 17th into the early morning on the 18th in Delaware. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and knocked down weak trees, tree limbs and wires and caused isolated power outages. Peak wind gusts included 56 mph in Odessa (New Castle County), 54 mph in Newark (New Castle County) and 49 mph in Lewes (Sussex County). ||The northward moving ocean storm intensified from a 1001 millibar low pressure system east of North Carolina on the evening of the 16th, to a 979 millibar low pressure system well east of New Jersey on the morning of the 17th and peaked as a 954 millibar low pressure system over Nova Scotia at 7 p.m. EST on the 17th. From there it slowly weakened as it moved toward Newfoundland overnight. As this low moved farther away from Delaware, the strong winds ceased.

Strong to high winds occurred across Delaware from around Midnight EST into the middle of the afternoon on the 31st. Peak wind gusts reached between 45 mph and 65 mph and downed weak trees, tree limbs and power lines and caused scattered outages. Delmarva Power reported about 5,400 of its customers lost power. All of the high winds and most of the highest wind gusts occurred in the south to southwest flow preceding a cold frontal passage during the early morning on the 31st. However, strong wind gusts near 50 mph continued in the westerly flow following the cold frontal passage during the morning and early afternoon on the 31st. The cold front moved through the state between 5 a.m.EST and 6 a.m. EST. ||Peak wind gusts included 63 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 61 mph in Dewey Beach (Sussex County), 56 mph in Dover (Kent County) and Georgetown (Sussex County) and 47 mph at the New Castle County Airport.||The strong to high winds were caused by a land bombing low pressure system that intensified rapidly as it moved through the Great Lakes on January 30th and into Quebec Province on January 31st. The central pressure of the low pressure system over Illinois deepened from 992 millibars at 7 a.m. EST on the 30th to 968 millibars at 7 a.m. EST on the 31st when it was in Quebec Province. The low pressure system continued to deepen and the following morning, the pressure was 944 millibars as it was crossing the Labrador Sea (The lowest analyzed pressure with this system was 940 millibars.). The rapid deepening of the surface low intensified the southerly flow preceding its cold front and then the pressure gradient (difference) between the low pressure system and a high pressure system entering the Northern Plains continued strong winds into the afternoon of the 31st. The low pressure system movement away from Delaware caused the strong winds to stop later that day.

The same low pressure system that brought snow to northern Delaware on the 29th intensified rapidly as it moved northeast overnight and reached Nova Scotia on the morning of the 30th. At 7 a.m. EST the surface pressure had dropped to 964 millibars. The northwest circulation between the intense low pressure system and the approaching high pressure system in the lower Tennessee Valley produced strong winds across Delaware during the day on the 30th. Peak wind gusts averaged 45 to 50 mph and knocked down shallow rooted trees, weak tree limbs and wires and caused isolated power outages. The strong winds also forced the cancellation of four departures of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. Peak wind gusts included 51 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 49 mph in Talleyville (New Castle County), 46 mph in Dewey Beach (Sussex County), 45 mph in Dover (Kent County) and 43 mph at the New Castle County Airport. The combination of the intensification process of the low pressure system ceasing and the movement of the high pressure system closer to the state (and the low pressure system farther away) caused the strong winds to cease the afternoon of the 30th.

An intense low pressure system brought strong to high northeast winds into Delaware during the late afternoon and evening of the 26th. The onshore flow also caused minor tidal flooding in Sussex County. The strongest winds appeared tied to gravity waves as they propagated northwest into the state and mainly affected parts of Kent and Sussex Counties. As the low pressure system moved into the state, the strong to high winds ceased. Weak trees, tree limbs and power lines were knocked down and scattered outages occurred. Peak wind gusts included 64 mph in Dover (Kent County), 59 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 48 mph at the New Castle County Airport and 45 mph in Delaware City (New Castle County). The evening high tide at Breakwater Harbor reached 6.49 feet above mean lower low water. Minor tidal flooding starts at 6.0 feet above mean lower low water. | |The strong to high winds were caused by the pressure gradient (difference) between a low pressure syetem that passed across the southeast part of the state and a high pressure system over nearby New England and southeast Canada. The low itself moved from Texas on Christmas Day northeast into the Tennessee Valley on the 26th. A secondary low pressure system formed in the Carolinas on the 26th and became the main low. This low moved northeast and passed through southern Delaware on the evening of the 26th and across southeast New Jersey overnight on the 26th.

A deep low pressure system tracked across the Lower Great Lakes northeastward into the St. Lawrence Valley from the evening of the 20th into the daytime of the 21st. Its associated strong cold front swept eastward through the Mid Atlantic region and across Delaware during the early morning of the 21st. In addition, a secondary area of low pressure formed along the frontal boundary, west of Delaware Bay, and deepened rapidly. The approaching cold front and the deepening secondary low pressure produced a strong southeasterly flow over the region that resulted in peak southeast wind gusts ranging from 45 mph to 60 mph across the state during the early morning on the 21st. The wind damaged trees, tree limbs and knocked down power lines. Most of the reported downed trees were in New Castle County. Delmarva Power reported about 650 of its customers lost power, 500 of them were in New Castle County. Peak wind gusts included 60 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 48 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County) and 45 mph in Lewes (Sussex County) and Dover (Kent County).||In addition, the significant southeast flow allowed water to pile up along the Delaware Coast and into Delaware Bay, producing minor to major coastal flooding at the time of high tide on the morning of the 21st. The magnitude of the tidal flooding increased northwestward through Delaware Bay into tidal sections of the Delaware River. Moderate to heavy rain fell across the state, with storm totals ranging between 1 to 3 inches. This rain resulted in minor to moderate flooding of creeks and rivers in Northern Delaware.||The strong onshore flow contributed to higher high tides with minor tidal flooding occurring along the Delaware oceanfront. High tide at Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County) reached 6.67 feet above mean lower low water. Minor tidal flooding starts at 6.0 feet above mean lower low water. The southeasterly flow pushed water up the Delaware Bay and into the tidal portions of the Delaware River, causing major tidal flooding to occur at Reedy Point (New Castle County). High tide at Reedy Point reached 9.2 feet above mean lower low water. Major tidal flooding starts at 9.2 feet above mean lower low water. The high tide reached 9.47 feet above mean lower low water at Delaware City (New Castle County). There are no established flood categories for this site. Because of tidal effects from Chesapeake Bay which extended east through the Nanticoke River, the Woodland Ferry (in Sussex County) canceled operations on the 21st.

Post Tropical Storm Sandy caused an estimated $5.5 million dollars of damage across the three counties in Delaware. The damage estimates from the state were broken down to $2.8 million in New Castle County, $832,000 in Kent County and $1.9 million in Sussex County. Damages were due to tidal flooding as significant wave action resulted during multiple high tide cycles, due to increasing onshore winds prior to landfall. Damages were also due in part to inland flooding caused by excessive rainfall, as up to 10 inches of rain were reported. In addition, high winds resulted in many trees and wires coming down statewide. This created 100,000 power outages and resulted in many road closures due to downed trees and flooding. The hardest hit county was New Castle County. All power was restored by November 2nd. No direct deaths or injuries were reported in Delaware due to the storm and the overall number of traffic accidents were low because of driving restrictions.||Tropical Storm Sandy formed in the Caribbean Sea on the 22nd of October. After drifting slowly southwest into the 23rd, Sandy turned to the north and intensified to a hurricane on the 24th just before making landfall in Jamaica during that afternoon. Hurricane Sandy continued to the north and intensified to a strong category two hurricane before making landfall again in Cuba shortly after Midnight EDT on the 25th. Hurricane Sandy emerged on the other side of Cuba during the morning of the 25th and proceeded to drift northwest as a category one or two hurricane as it moved through the Bahamas on the 25th and 26th. Overnight on the 26th, Hurricane Sandy (Category 1) started to move toward the north-northeast, a motion that continued into the evening of the 28th. From there, Sandy���s motion became driven by two factors. An anomalously strong blocking ridge over the Canadian Maritimes prevented Sandy from escaping to the east. Simultaneously, an approaching and deepening middle latitude trough was about to capture Sandy. The combination of the two, turned Sandy to the north overnight on the 28th and then to the northwest on the 29th. Hurricane Sandy received one last jolt of tropical energy as it passed across the Gulf Stream during the morning of the 29th. The lowest recorded central pressure of 940 millibars (27.76 inches) occurred when Category 1 Hurricane Sandy was about 110 miles southeast of Atlantic City at 2 p.m. EDT on the 29th. As Sandy continued to move northwest and interact with the mid latitude trough, its interaction continued to make it less tropical, but did not weaken it much. Sandy continued to make a harder turn to the left (west) and made landfall in Atlantic County as a post tropical storm in Brigantine City just north of Atlantic City at 730 p.m. EDT on the 29th. The estimated minimum central pressure was 945 millibars. The lowest recorded central pressure was 945.6 millibars at the Atlantic City Marina at 734 p.m. EDT. From there, Sandy continued to weaken or fill as it moved west. At 9 p.m. EDT, the low pressure system was in western Atlantic County and continued to move west-northwest. At 11 p.m. EDT, the post tropical storm (about 954 millibars) was located in southern Chester County. Post tropical storm Sandy continued to move west-northwest and weaken. At 2 a.m. EDT on the 30th, the 962 millibar low was located near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and at 8 a.m. EDT the 979 millibar low was near Altoona, Pennsylvania. From there, the rapidly weakening low pressure system moved northwest and reached Lake Erie (993 millibars) at 8 p.m. EDT that evening and from there drifted north into Canada.||Prior to Sandy's arrival, Governor Jack Markell declared a State of Emergency and ordered a mandatory evacuation of 50,000 coastal residents in areas three quarters of a mile from the shore line and other low-lying coastal communities in Sussex, Kent, and New Castle Counties. Approximately 50,000 people evacuated. President Barack Obama also signed a federal emergency declaration for Delaware. The mandatory evacuations were ordered effective at 8 p.m. EDT on the 27th, with completion by 8 p.m. EDT on the 28th. Businesses within the mandatory evacuation zones were also ordered to close by 6 p.m. EDT on the 28th. In addition, mandatory evacuations were also ordered for some residents in Wilmington, covering the southeast portion of the city, near the Delaware River. To expedite evacuations, tolls on northbound Route 1 were suspended by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT). However, around dawn on Sunday morning the 28th, a dune breach occurred and forced the closure of a section of Delaware Route 1 in Sussex County in both directions north of the Indian River Inlet Bridge. This closure forced residents evacuating from Bethany Beach, South Bethany, and Fenwick Island to detour inland onto secondary roads. Following the completion of evacuations, Governor Jack Markell enacted a Level 2 Driving Restriction on all Delaware roads, allowing only emergency and essential personnel access after 5:00 a.m. EDT on Monday the 29th. All schools and universities were closed on the 29th. Traffic managers advised that bridges over the Chesapeake and Delaware canals would be closed when winds reached 50 miles per hour in the area. In addition to these preparations, several shelters were opened throughout the state, including two each in New Castle and Kent Counties, with three in Sussex County. On the 30th, the governor reduced driving restrictions to level 1: for safety, emergency or business purposes only. On the 31st, service resumed on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry and state parks reopened. On November 1st, the University of Delaware resumed classes and DART buses were back in service. There were still about thirty roadways that were still closed. ||In New Castle County, evacuations occurred as far north along the Delaware River as the southeast part of Wilmington. The worst tidal flooding occurred south of Port Penn and affected Augustine Beach the hardest. Dozens of trees were uprooted in Wilmington. About 35 roads were closed because of flooding or high wind. Most of them were near the Delaware Bay including Delaware State Route 9. In Kent County, duning withstood the tide and wave action. Nevertheless, both Kitts Hummock and Bower Beach lost several feet of sand and cliffs as high as four feet. Woodland Beach was flooded. About forty roads were closed because of flooding or high wind. ||Sussex County was hit hard by tidal flooding and wave action. Waves at Bethany Beach reached 12 feet. Delaware State Route 1 south of Dewey Beach remained closed until November 4th. The dune breach brought 4 to 6 feet of sand onto the roadway and one approach road in the area of Indian River Inlet was destroyed. During the height of the storm Rehoboth and Dewey Beach were under water. All roads leading in and out were impassable. Prime Hook Beach was also impassable. Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island were hit the hardest along the coast. Tidal flooding also closed several roadways in Oak Orchard starting with the morning high tide on the 28th. Tidal flooding also affected Lewes. Trees were uprooted in Georgetown and a roof collapsed in Greenwood. About forty roadways were closed in the county and both the Cedar Creek Drawbridge and Fowler Beach Road were expected to be closed indefinitely. The annual |Rehoboth Beach Halloween bash was cancelled. ||In the Lower Delaware Bay, minor tidal flooding started during the high tide cycle on the morning of the 28th, with some moderate tidal flooding during the high tide cycle on the evening of the 28th. In Upper Delaware Bay and tidal sections of the Delaware River, some minor tidal flooding occurred during the evening high tide cycle on the 28th, with moderate (upper Delaware Bay) tidal flooding occurred during the one overnight high tide cycle on the 29th as Sandy moved westward. The storm surge averaged 4 to 5 feet. In the Delaware Bay and into the lower tidal Delaware River, the high tide at Reedy Point (New Castle County) reached 9.1 feet above mean lower low water during the evening high tide on the 29th. It was the second highest tide on record, the record is 9.2 feet above mean lower low water set during the April 16, 2011 nor���easter. Some lesser but still moderate tidal flooding occurred with the high tide cycle during the middle of the day on the 30th. The high tide at Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County) reached 8.71 feet above mean lower low water during the morning high tide on the 29th. This is the third highest tide on record, the record is 9.2 feet above mean lower low water set during the March 6, 1962 nor'easter. Each subsequent high tide cycle had lower peaks.||Heavy rain fell across the state as Sandy approached and moved over the region. This made it easier for shallow rooted and leafed trees to be uprooted and it also complicated the tidal flooding. Event rainfall totals ranged from around 5 inches in northern parts of the state to around 10 inches in southern areas. The steady rain associated with Sandy spread into Delaware during the day on the 28th and slowly progressed north. The heaviest rain fell overnight on the 28th into the early evening of the 29th. The rain ended during the middle of the day on the 30th.||Peak wind gusts included 67 mph in Stones Throw (New Castle County), 66 mph at Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County), 59 mph in Reeves Crossing (Kent County), Appoquinimink (New Castle County) and Lewes (Sussex County), 58 mph at the intersection of Route 1 and Route 16 (Sussex County), 56 mph at the New Castle County Airport (New Castle County), 54 mph at the Dover Air Force Base (Kent County), 50 mph at the Georgetown Airport (Sussex County) and 46 mph in Cedar Creek (Sussex County). Strong winds overspread the state during the morning of the 29th, with high winds occurring during the late afternoon and evening of the 29th. Winds quickly diminished overnight and were relatively light by sunrise on the 30th.

Scattered pulse type strong to severe thunderstorms affected Delaware during the late afternoon and evening of the 28th. Nearly 6,000 homes and businesses lost power in Delaware with most of the outages in the northern and southern parts of the state.

An approaching back door cold front (from the north) and an unseasonably hot as well as humid air mass combined to trigger scattered strong to severe thunderstorms mainly across the northern half of Delaware during the early evening on the 18th. Around 4,400 homes and businesses lost power, most were in New Castle County.

Thunderstorms developed in the hot and humid air mass, as a weak warm front, associated with low pressure over the Midwest, moved northward through the Mid Atlantic on the morning of June 29th. Strong thunderstorm wind gusts downed numerous trees and power lines.

A well-organized cluster of thunderstorms with a history of producing widespread damaging winds advanced into a hot, unstable airmass over the Mid Atlantic. This derecho produced widespread, significant wind damage from southern New Jersey southward into the Delmarva during the late evening and overnight of the 29th.||Strong thunderstorm development began across the Midwest and Lower Great Lakes regions during the afternoon of the 29th, with storms initiating across northern Illinois, near Chicago. Strong mid-level winds and an unstable airmass contributed to rapid development as well-organized storms progressed from northern Illinois through Indiana and Ohio. This robust convection continued to track southeastward into an airmass that was even more unstable due to abundant daytime surface heating. Late afternoon temperatures had peaked mainly in the mid to upper 90s with high humidity throughout the Mid Atlantic states, and as the potent thunderstorm cluster progressed from the Great Lakes to the central Appalachians and into the Mid Atlantic by late evening, thunderstorm activity was reinvigorated.||A robust gust front outpaced the main thunderstorm line, producing strong wind gusts as it traveled from the eastern shore of Maryland into Delaware and southern New Jersey. Shortly thereafter, the potent thunderstorm line tracked through the region, with additional damaging wind gusts. One cell in particular around Baltimore, MD experienced rapid intensification and expansion as it raced eastward into northern Delaware and southern New Jersey. This massive cell produced extreme damage throughout Salem, Cumberland, and Atlantic counties in New Jersey. Damage to trees, power lines, and buildings was also significant throughout Delaware and the eastern shore of Maryland. Thunderstorms also dropped hail in several locations, ranging from penny to golf-ball size. Destructive wind gusts, between 65 mph to nearly 90 mph, were measured as this derecho tracked from the Lower Great Lakes to the Mid Atlantic coast.

An unseasonably hot and humid day produced high temperatures of around 100 degrees in Delaware on the 29th. Combined with the humidity levels, maximum heat indices reached between 105F and 110F. Because of the heat, Delaware Park did not resume thoroughbred racing until July 2nd. The heat then set the stage for the powerful derecho that moved through the state later that evening. High temperatures on the 29th included 101 degrees in Georgetown (Sussex County), 98 degrees in Dover (Kent County) and 97 degrees at the New Castle County Airport. While high temperatures on the 30th reached into the 90s, the derecho brought in slighter cooler and drier air in its wake.

Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms developed ahead of an approaching cold front, producing pockets of very heavy rain and some wind damage across northern Delaware during the evening of the 22nd. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 20,000 of its customers lost power in New Castle and Cecil Counties. Power was not fully restored until the night of the 24th.

Strong northnorthwest winds behind a departing low pressure system knocked down a tree onto Faulkland Road near Fells Lane in Christina Hundred on the morning of the 2nd. The downed tree took down some power lines and caused thirteen Delmarva Power customers to lose power. The peak wind gust at the New Castle County Airport on the 2nd was 38 mph.

Strong northwest winds occurred during the afternoon and early evening of the 26th in Delaware following a cold frontal passage. Peak wind gusts averaged 40 to 50 mph, downed some weak tree limbs and wires and caused isolated power outages. In addition, the recent dry weather coupled with the strong winds increased the threat for rapidly expanding wildfires. Peak wind gusts included 51 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 44 mph in Dewey Beach (Sussex County), 43 mph in Dover (Kent County) and 40 mph at the New Castle County Airport. The strong northwest winds were caused by the pressure difference between a high pressure system building into the Great Lakes and a low pressure system in the Canadian Maritimes. As the high pressure system moved closer during the evening of the 26th and the low pressure system moved offshore, winds diminished.

Strong southwest winds preceding an approaching cold front produced wind gusts of around 45 mph in Delaware from the late morning into the middle of the afternoon on the 8th. The strong winds knocked down some weak tree limbs and power lines and caused isolated power outages. Peak wind gusts included 45 mph in Dover (Kent County) and 43 mph in Lewes (Sussex County).

A nearly seventy millibar surface pressure difference between an intense low pressure system moving through the Canadian Maritimes (it bottomed at 963 millibars at 1 p.m. EST on the 25th in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence) and a high pressure system in the Central Plains produced nearly twenty-four hours of strong winds across Delaware from the late evening on the 24th through the early evening on the 25th. The strong winds downed weak trees, tree limbs and power lines and caused scattered outages. About 2,000 homes and businesses lost power, hardest hit was Sussex County.||Peak wind gusts included 51 mph in Dewey Beach (Sussex County), 48 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 46 mph at the New Castle County Airport and 43 mph in Dover (Kent County). The strong winds started shortly after a cold frontal passage moved through Delaware during the evening of the 24th and persisted into the first part of the evening on the 25th. Winds started to diminish after the low pressure started to weaken and moved farther away from Delaware.

A rapidly intensifying low pressure system caused strong west to northwest winds to occur across Delaware from the afternoon through the evening of the 27th. Peak wind gusts averaged 40 to 50 mph, resulting in downed tree limbs and isolated power outages.||Peak wind gusts included 53 mph in Wilmington (New Castle County), 48 mph in Bear (New Castle County), 47 mph in Primehook Beach (Sussex County), 45 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 41 mph in Dover (Kent County) and Delaware City (New Castle County) and 40 mph in Milford (Sussex County).

Strong westerly winds were recorded early in the morning and again later in the day on the 13th across Delaware, following a cold frontal passage. Peak wind gusts averaged between 40 and 50 mph, resulting in downed tree limbs and isolated power outages. Top wind gusts included 47 mph at Dewey Beach (Sussex County) and 43 mph at the Wilmington Airport (New Castle County). The strong westerly winds measured early in the morning accompanied an arctic cold front, and another round of higher wind gusts occurred around midday in the strong cold air advection. As the pressure gradient (difference) relaxed late in the day, the strong winds subsided from west to east across the state.

Strong south winds occurred during the late afternoon and the early part of the evening on the 27th. A line of showers also helped mix stronger winds to the surface. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph. The combination of the heavy rain and strong winds helped knock down tree limbs and weak trees in Delaware. About 1,500 Delmarva Power and Light customers lost power, mainly in New Castle and Sussex Counties. In addition, Delaware Electric Cooperative reported about 11,000 of its customers lost power in Sussex County. Its largest outages were reported in Lewes and Milton. Most of the power was restored by midnight that night. Peak wind gusts included 51 mph in Dewey Beach (Sussex County), 50 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County) and 45 mph at the New Castle County Airport. The strong south to southwest winds were caused by the pressure difference between a departing high pressure system and an approaching cold front from the Ohio Valley. The strong winds ceased after the cold front moved through during the early evening.

A rapidly intensifying low pressure system caused strong northwest winds to occur across Delaware from the evening of the 7th through the early morning on the 8th. Peak wind gusts were 40 to 50 mph and downed tree limbs and weak rooted trees throughout the state. Widely scattered power outages occurred. In New Castle County, in Elsmere, the strong winds toppled a tree onto a home on Brook Lane and caused moderate damage. Peak wind gusts included 49 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 46 mph in Dewey Beach (Sussex County), 44 mph in Dover (Kent County) and 40 mph at the New Castle County Airport. The strong winds were caused by the increasing circulation around the same low pressure system that brought heavy rain to the state. The low intensified from 1007 millibars over western North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 7th, to 996 millibars over Delaware at 7 p.m. EST on the 7th, to 989 millibars over Long Island at 1 a.m. EST on the 8th to 978 millibars over Eastport, Maine at 7 a.m. EST on the 8th. The 29 millibar drop in 24 hours qualified it for the meteorological definition of a bombing low pressure system and was the main reason for the strong winds. While the low continued to intensify (it was down to 963 millibars at the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River at 1 p.m. EST on the 8th), it moved far enough away from Delaware so that strong winds subsided by the daytime on the 8th.

Hurricane Irene produced heavy flooding rain, widespread tropical storm force wind gusts, a confirmed tornado near Lewes in Sussex County, moderate to severe coastal flooding and beach erosion and caused two flooding related deaths, forced evacuations near the coast over the weekend of August 27th and 28th in Delaware. About 100,000 people were evacuated from the Atlantic Coast. Numerous roadways were flooded and closed and thousands of trees were knocked down. About 100,000 utility customers lost power. In addition, chickens were killed by flooding and agricultural crops were damaged by the flooding. Delaware received federal disaster declaration. ||Tropical storm force wind gusts overspread Delaware during the afternoon of the 27th and persisted through the afternoon of the 28th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 60 mph. The strongest winds associated with Irene occurred at two distinct times. The first surge occurred during bands of heavier rain during the evening of the 27th. The second peak occurred during the late morning and early afternoon of the 28th when skies were clearing and deeper mixing of the atmosphere brought stronger winds to the ground. The rain associated with Irene overspread the state between 7 a.m. EDT and Noon EDT on the 27th, fell at its heaviest from the late afternoon of the 27th into the early morning of the 28th and ended around Noon EDT on the 28th. Event precipitation totals averaged 5 to 12 inches and caused widespread and in some instances record breaking flooding. Because the flash flooding and flooding blended into one, all stormdata flooding related county entries were combined into one under flood events. The storm surge of 3 to 4 feet caused minor to moderate tidal flooding along tidal sections of the Delaware River and in Upper Delaware Bay and moderate to severe tidal flooding along lower Delaware Bay and along the coast during the evening high tide cycle on the 27th. The winds shifted to the northwest during the morning high tide cycle on the 28th. ||Governor Jack Markell ordered visitors to evacuate the Delaware beaches effective 6 pm EDT on August 25th. In addition, a state of emergency was declared and shelters were opened throughout the state on August 26th. Driving restrictions were in place. Mandatory evacuations of approximately one hundred thousand tourists and residents occurred, including special populations, began on Thursday, August 25th. The Cape May���Lewes Ferry suspended service for August 27th and 28th. Toll operations on Delaware State Route 1 were halted. Transit services were shut down on August 27th and 28th, while most of the bridges over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and the Indian River were closed due to the wind.||About 100,000 utility customers lost power at the peak of the storm. Power was not fully restored until August 31st. Schools were dismissed early on Friday the 26th and remained closed through the duration of the event. The state highway department reported over two hundred roads under water. Seven bridges sustained structural damage. At least thirty-seven homes and businesses sustained major damage or were destroyed. Extensive damage occurred to the six state maintained beaches as severe beach erosion and dune breaches occurred. The combination of heavy rain and severe tidal flooding washed out Prime Hook Road along Delaware Bay in Cedar Creek Hundred (Sussex County). In Kent County, tidal flooding occurred along Kitts Hummock Road as well as along Bowers Beach. | |The highest wind gusts recorded during Hurricane Irene were 66 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 64 mph in Dewey Beach (Sussex County), 60 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County), 57 mph in Wilmington (New Castle County), and 52 mph in Dover (Kent County). The highest tides included 8.20 feet above mean lower low water at Breakwater Harbor in Sussex County (severe flooding starts at 8.0 feet above mean lower low water) and 8.03 feet above mean lower low water at Reedy Island in New Castle County. Minor tidal flooding at Reedy starts at 7.2 feet above mean lower low water.||Hurricane Irene formed east of the Leeward Islands on Saturday the 20th. It moved northeast and passed over Puerto Rico overnight on the 21st. As Irene moved off the island, it intensified into a hurricane. Irene just bypassed the island of Hispaniola to its north and then passed over the Eastern Bahamas on the 25th as it reached category three hurricane strength. From the Bahamas, Irene moved nearly due north and slowly weakened to a category two hurricane on the 26th and a category one hurricane on the 27th. Irene made her initial landfall near Cape Lookout, North Carolina at 8 a.m. EDT on the 27th and then proceeded to the northnortheast and went back over the Atlantic Ocean near the Virginia and North Carolina border at 7 p.m. EDT on the 27th. Irene then paralleled the Delmarva Peninsula and the center passed about 15 miles east of Delaware between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. EDT on the 28th. Irene made her second landfall as a tropical storm on Brigantine Island, just north of Atlantic City, New Jersey at 535 a.m. EDT on the 28th. From there the center of Irene moved along eastern parts of Ocean and Monmouth Counties and was located near Tinton Falls Township in Monmouth County at 8 a.m. EDT on the 28th. At about 9 a.m. EDT the center of Irene passed over New York City.

A warm front helped trigger several strong to severe thunderstorms across New Castle County during the early afternoon of the 9th. More than two dozen roads were closed by downed trees including the northbound lanes of Interstate 95. A few homes were condemned after being struck by fallen trees and the American Red Cross helped twenty-two adults and thirteen children find shelter. About 19,000 Delmarva Power customers lost power and power was not fully restored until the afternoon of the 10th. About forty poles were snapped across the county. The greatest concentration of outages were in Greenville, Hockessin, Talleyville and Walnut Ridge.

Strong southeast winds channeled up the Delaware Bay during the late afternoon and early evening of the 10th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph. The combination of the wind and heavy rain that loosened the soil caused weak trees, tree limbs and power lines to be knocked down. Most of the reported wind damage was in New Castle County. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 3,500 homes and businesses lost power, mainly in northern New Castle County. Trees were knocked down along Barley Mill Road in Greenville (New Castle County) and they were leaning against power lines near Killens Pond Road in Harrington (Kent County). The Red Clay School District in New Castle County cancelled all after school activities.||Peak wind gusts included 51 mph at the New Castle County Airport. The late afternoon and evening strong southeast flow up the Delaware Bay also produced minor tidal flooding along the Delaware River and tidal sections of its tributaries during the early morning high tide cycle on the 11th. It also slowed the runoff of inland waterways. The high tide at Reedy Island (New Castle County) reached 7.7 feet above mean lower low water. Minor tidal flooding starts at 7.2 feet above mean lower low water. ||The strong winds were caused by the pressure difference between a strong high pressure system over the Canadian Maritimes and an approaching frontal boundary from the Ohio Valley. This difference was at its strongest during the late afternoon and evening of the 10th and lessened after a warm front moved through Delaware.

A very strong cold frontal passage produced high winds across Delaware during the second half of the afternoon on the 25th. Peak wind gusts averaged 60 to 65 mph and downed numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines and also caused some structural damage to homes and businesses. Delmarva Power and Light reported sixteen thousand customers lost power in the state. In New Castle County, the high winds knocked down a billboard through the roof of an unoccupied bowling alley in Prices Corner. Just outside of Wilmington on Taft Avenue in Lancaster Village, a downed tree damaged a home. In Claymont, another downed tree damaged the bedroom and kitchen of a home on Palace Avenue. In Kent County, Southbound U.S. Route 113 was closed near Little Heaven when two poles snapped. In Sussex County, a large road sign was thrown onto the southbound lanes of Delaware State Route 1 between Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach.||Peak wind gusts included 66 mph at Dewey Beach and Lewes (Sussex County), 63 mph in Dover (Kent County), 58 mph at the New Castle County Airport and Sandtown (Kent County) and 56 mph in Primehook (Sussex County).||The high winds were caused by the pressure difference between a large high pressure system in the middle of the United States and an intense low pressure system that moved through eastern New England and the Canadian Maritimes. The high winds received an additional boost from the large atmospheric pressure rises that occurred just after the cold front passed.

Strong to high west to northwest winds affected Delaware from the evening of the 18th through the evening of the 19th. Peak wind gusts averaged 50 to 60 mph. The winds tore down trees, tree limbs and wires and caused power outages. The strong winds began following a cold frontal passage on the evening of the 18th. Strong, but not high winds persisted overnight on the 18th. The winds reached their peak during the late morning and afternoon of the 19th and then slowly decreased during the evening and overnight on the 19th. New Castle County bore the brunt of the power outages in the state as 13,500 homes and businesses lost power. In Wilmington, a house was damaged by a downed tree. The northbound ramp of Interstate 95 was closed because of a downed pole on Martin Luther King Boulevard. Downed trees block roadways in Hockessin and Ashland. In Camden, there were eight separate reports of downed wires. All power was restored by the evening of the 19th.||Peak wind gusts included 58 mph in Dover (Kent County), 56 mph in Lewes (Sussex County) and at the New Castle County Airport, 53 mph in Dewey Beach and Lewes (Sussex County), 48 mph in Sandtown (Kent County) and 46 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County). | |The strong to high winds were caused by the large pressure difference between a strong high pressure system building into the United States from central Canada and a low pressure system in the Canadian Maritimes. Winds started decreasing when the low pressure system moved east of the Canadian Maritimes on the night of the 19th and the high pressure system reached the Great Lakes.

A protracted winter storm with a one-two punch affected Delaware from the early morning of the 26th into the early morning of the 27th. The first phase of the storm affected mainly New Castle County, while the second phase of the storm affected all of the state. Snow and sleet accumulations averaged 1 to 4 inches in Kent and Sussex Counties, 4 to 8 inches in southern New Castle County and 8 to 12 inches in northern New Castle County.||Precipitation began as rain across southern Kent and all of Sussex Counties, sleet in northern Kent County and snow across New Castle County shortly after midnight EST on the 26th. Precipitation in northern Kent County changed to rain by the end of the morning commute, but in New Castle County slowly changed to sleet and then rain during the morning of the 26th. Precipitation became spottier and lighter during the mid day and early afternoon on the 26th. Precipitation in the form of rain increased in intensity across the state during the second half of the afternoon as thunderstorms formed. Precipitation then mixed with or changed to sleet and then to all snow during the early evening. The snow fell heavy at times during the mid and late evening. The snow ended between 2 a.m. EST and 4 a.m. EST on the 27th. ||In Wilmington (New Castle County), a 51-year-old woman pedestrian was killed by a snow plow on the morning of the 27th in the Penny Hill section of the city. Elsewhere in New Castle County, a vehicle skidded into a snow plow on Delaware State Route 1 in Biddles Corner. Delaware State Police responded to nearly 100 accidents and more than two dozen disabled vehicles. There were five injury accidents in Kent County and three roadways blocked by downed trees in Sussex County. Most northern Delaware schools as well as the University of Delaware and State and Senate meetings were closed or canceled on the 27th. The weight of the snow on tree limbs caused about 830 Delmarva Power and Light customers to lose power.||Representative snowfall included 12.1 inches in Hockessin (New Castle County), 11.6 inches in Prices Corner (New Castle County), 10.4 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 8.5 inches in Glasgow (New Castle County), 3.7 inches in Smyrna (Kent County) and Ellendale (Sussex County), 3.4 inches in Dover (Kent County), 2.5 inches in Harrington (Kent County), 1.5 inches in Bridgeville (Sussex County) and 0.7 inches in Lewes (Sussex County). ||The latest winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that emerged from the western Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and moved northeast to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 26th. From there it turned slightly more to the northnortheast and passed through the Delmarva coastal waters during the afternoon and early evening on the 26th and then continued northeast and passed just south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts early on the 27th. The turn more toward the coast permitted some warmer air to reach into Delaware during the day on the 26th. The heavy snow burst was triggered by the surface low's upper air support that passed through the state on the evening of the 26th.

Strong to high winds that started during the afternoon of the winter storm on the 26th persisted into the early evening of the 27th. Peak wind gusts were around 50 mph and knocked down some weak tree limbs and power lines. The largest effect though was the considerable blowing and drifting of the snow the wind caused. This hampered plowing and clean-up operations after the snow ended. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry cancelled all Delaware Bay crossings before 3 p.m. EST on the 27th.||The winds were caused first by the rapid intensification of the winter storm low pressure system and then the pressure gradient (difference) between the low pressure system and a strong high pressure building east from the central part of the United States. Winds eased as the low moved farther away from the Middle Atlantic States as the day progressed on the 27th as well as it stopped intensifying after the morning of the 27th. The low pressure system's surface pressure bottomed at 961 millibars at 10 a.m. EST on the 27th as it was passing just east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

The pressure gradient or difference between a strong high pressure system over the Canadian Maritimes and a low pressure system on the approaching cold front produced strong south winds across Delaware during the morning hours of December 1st. Wind gusts were enhanced around a line of showers and isolated thunderstorms that preceded and accompanied the cold frontal passage around Noon EST. Peak wind gusts average around 45 mph and knocked down weak tree limbs and wires and caused isolated power outages. Peak wind gusts included 46 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County) and the New Castle County Airport and 45 mph in Dover (Kent County).

The combination of strong south to southeast winds during the day and evening on the 30th and periods of heavy rain downed tree limbs and wires in Delaware. Peak wind gusts averaged 40 to 45 mph. About 2,000 homes and businesses lost power in Delaware. The combination of the southeast winds and fresh water runoff also caused widespread minor tidal flooding with the late afternoon high tide along the tidal sections of the Delaware River and its tributaries on the 30th. ||The afternoon high tide reached 7.60 feet above mean lower low water at Reedy Point (New Castle County). Minor tidal flooding starts at 7.2 feet above mean lower low water while moderate tidal flooding starts at 8.2 feet above mean lower low water. Peak wind gusts included 44 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County) and 43 mph at the New Castle County Airport.||The strong wind was caused by the pressure difference between a high pressure system off the Eastern Seaboard and a low pressure system that moved from North Carolina north into Pennsylvania during the day on the 30th. As the initial low pressure system weakened and the frontal boundary moved closer to Delaware, winds diminished overnight on the 30th.

A complex of showers and strong to locally severe thunderstorms preceding a cold frontal passage caused wind damage in New Castle County during the evening of the 22nd. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 15,000 homes and businesses lost power in their service area, most of them in New Castle County in Delaware and Cecil County in Maryland. Power was not fully restored until the evening of the 23rd.

The combination of the heavy rain and strong to locally high winds downed weak trees and tree limbs throughout Delaware. About 3,000 homes and businesses lost power, all power was restored by the evening of the 13th.||The strong onshore wind also caused minor tidal flooding along the ocean, into Delaware Bay and in tidal sections of the Delaware River from the morning high tide on the 13th through the morning high tide on the 14th. The highest tides occurred with the strongest onshore flow on the morning of the 13th. In Delaware City (New Castle County), water lapped over the damaged sea wall. Tidal flooding occurred at Fort DuPont. The highest tides included 7.94 feet above mean lower low water at Reedy Island in New Castle County (Minor tidal flooding starts at 7.2 feet above mean lower low water.) and 6.88 feet above mean lower low water at Breakwater Harbor in Sussex County (Minor tidal flooding starts at 6.0 feet above mean lower low water.).||Peak wind gusts included 58 mph in Dover (Kent County), 50 mph in Frankford (Sussex County), 48 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County), 46 mph in Delaware City (New Castle County) and 45 mph at the New Castle County Airport.||The strong to high winds were caused by the pressure gradient or difference between a high pressure system over the Canadian Maritimes and an intense low pressure system moving toward Delaware from Virginia. The strongest winds occurred between 4 a.m. EST and Noon EST on the 13th and weakened once the center of the low pressure system came closer to the state.

Heavy snow fell in New Castle County while lighter snow fell across Kent and New Sussex Counties from from the late evening of the 24th into the afternoon of the 26th. Snowfall averaged three to six inches in New Castle County and around one inch in Kent County. Most of the snow melted as it fell in Sussex County. Precipitation initially started as rain during the afternoon on the 24th in Sussex County and spread north during the evening and overnight on the 24th. As the intensity increased, the rain changed to snow in Sussex County late in the evening on the 24th and after 3 a.m. EST on the 25th in Kent and New Castle Counties. The snow ended during the morning of the 25th, but started again during the evening of the 25th in New Castle County and overnight in Kent and Sussex Counties. The snow ended in all areas during the early afternoon of the 26th. Aside for New Castle County, the snow never fell heavily in Delaware and had a hard time accumulating on roadways until the morning of the 26th in New Castle County. Thus the number of reported accidents was relatively low. There was one reported traffic accident injury in New Castle County. Winds increased before the heavier snow arrived and could not stick to trees as well. The number of power outages was much lower than with the previous winter storm. The strongest winds occurred between 6 p.m. EST on the 25th and 6 p.m. EST on the 26th.||Representative snowfall included 5.6 inches in Hockessin (New Castle County), 4.7 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 4.5 inches in Newark (New Castle County) and 1.1 inches in Viola (Kent County). Peak wind gusts included 51 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 50 mph in Dover (Kent County), 48 mph in Sandtown (Kent County), 44 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 43 mph in Milford (Sussex County) and 40 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County).| |This last winter storm concluded a record breaking and unprecedented month for snow in February across Delaware. At the New Castle County Airport, the 46.9 inches of snow that fell in February 2010 was the snowiest February and month on record. In all, 72.7 inches of snow fell this season at the New Castle County Airport and was the snowiest season on record. The previous record was 55.9 inches set in 1995-6. ||The winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that formed east of Florida on the 24th. At 7 a.m. EST on the 25th, it (992 millibar low pressure system) was well east of the North Carolina coast and was intensifying rapidly as it was moving north. At 1 p.m. EST on the 25th, it was a 987 millibar low well east of the Delmarva Peninsula. At 7 p.m. EST on the 25th, it was a 978 millibar low just east of Long Island. At 10 p.m. EST on the 25th, it deepened to 972 millibars and was located along the Rhode Island and Massachusetts border. From there, a rare occurrence happened as the low pressure system retrograded or move westward. At 1 a.m. EST on the 26th, the 972 millibar low was in Connecticut; at 7 a.m. EST it weakened to 979 millibars and was over New York City. It spent the rest of the daylight hours weakening over the New York City area and then drifted slowly north that night. The retrogression process brought the heavy snow into New Castle County on the 26th.

For the second time within a week a major winter storm, this one with blizzard conditions at times, affected the state of Delaware. Blizzard conditions occurred at times during the afternoon and early evening of the 10th. Accumulations averaged around one foot with the highest amounts in New Castle County. Ice accretions were less than one quarter of an inch. Two storm related deaths occurred. ||In the southern half of the state, precipitation started briefly as rain or sleet around 6 p.m. EST on the 9th. As the precipitation intensity increased, the rain and sleet changed to snow by the middle of the evening. As warmer air moved in aloft, the snow changed back to sleet and freezing rain during the second half of the evening. Surface temperatures responded more slowly and the sleet and freezing rain changed over to rain during the early morning (before sunrise) of the 10th. Some sleet mixed in from time to time. As the low pressure system moved northeast of the state, the rain changed back to snow around 9 a.m. EST on the 10th and fell heavy at times from the late morning into the afternoon. Winds also increased and blizzard conditions occurred during the afternoon and early evening of the 10th. The snow ended late in the evening on the 10th. In the northern half of the state, precipitation started as snow during the early evening of the 9th and fell heavy at times. As warmer air moved in aloft there too, the snow changed over to sleet and freezing rain just after midnight EST on the 10th. Some surface temperatures rose above freezing and the precipitation fell as plain rain into the middle of the morning (around 9 a.m. EST) when it changed back to snow and fell heavy at times into the afternoon. Blizzard conditions developed during the afternoon of the 10th. The snow ended late in the evening on the 10th.||Governor Jack Markell declared a state of emergency in Delaware for the 10th with a total travel ban except for emergency and essential personnel. The ban on travel extended into the morning of the 11th. Drifts in Kent and Sussex Counties reached twelve feet. In spite of the travel ban, around 75 accidents (4 injuries) occurred and around 275 vehicles were abandoned or disabled with the greatest concentration in Sussex County. About 600 National Guard personnel were involved in rescuing stranded motorists and shuttling people who lost power to shelters. Many city, federal, social and county offices as well as courthouses were closed on the 10th and 11th. Municipal meetings were canceled as were sports games and racing cards. Schools were closed on the 10th and 11th, some even on the 12th. Businesses were closed. Both winter storms took their toll on the state economy. Because the heavy snow clung to the trees first and then the winds increased, about 30,000 homes and businesses lost power. There was considerable pine tree damage. Shelters were opened in New Castle, Milford, Seaford and Georgetown. Delaware Electric Cooperative had to suspend restoration efforts during the afternoon of the 10th in Kent and Sussex Counties because of poor visibilities. Many school districts ran out of snow days and municipal snow removal budgets were exceeded. Trash collections were postponed. The combination of the two heavy snow events within a week started causing roof collapses within the state. In addition, about 50 chicken houses collapsed on the Delmarva Peninsula. | |In New Castle County in Wilmington, a 33-year-old man was found dead while shoveling the snow. In Newark, a downed tree destroyed a traffic signal. About 15,000 homes and businesses lost power. Several building collapses occurred because of the weight of the snow within the county. A roof collapse at the C Line Center for Therapeutic and Educational Riding in Townsend was expected to take six months to fix the building. The Townsend Fire Company also suffered a roof collapse. A roof collapse occurred within the Ogletown Business Park and the facade roof of a Middletown restaurant fell. ||In Sussex County, an eighty-year-old man was found buried in the snow in Lewes. It was too windy to plow roads between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. EST on the 10th as whiteout conditions were reported. Three mobile homes collapsed in Lewes. The roof over the cafeteria and auditorium of a school in Seaford collapsed. The roofs of a Big Lots in Milford and a commercial building in Rehoboth Beach also collapsed. In Kent County three barns west of Kenton collapsed and farm equipment was damaged.||Representative snowfall included 13.0 inches in Smyrna (Kent County), 12.8 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 12.2 inches in Newark (New Castle County), 11.0 inches in Woodside (Kent County), 10.5 inches in Bridgeville (Sussex County), 9.3 inches in Dover (Kent County), 9.2 inches in Lewes Sussex County) and 8.0 inches in Long Neck (Sussex County). Peak wind gusts included 51 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 46 mph in Dover (Kent County) and the New Castle County Airport and 39 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County). The onshore flow preceding it helped cause minor tidal flooding with the morning high tide on the 10th in Sussex County. The high tide at Lewes reached 6.02 feet above mean lower low water. Minor tidal flooding starts at 6.0 feet above mean lower low water. ||Only 10 days into February and the 40.9 inches of snow that already fallen within the month at the New Castle County Airport established a new snowfall record for February. The seasonal total of 66.7 inches of snow to date already made it the snowiest season on record surpassing the previous record of 55.9 inches set in 1995-6. ||The low pressure system responsible for the latest winter storm and blizzard emerged from the Big Bend of Texas on the morning of the 8th. It moved northeast and reached the Tennessee Valley on the morning of the 9th. At 7 p.m. EST on the 9th, it was located near Charleston, South Carolina. It then moved northnortheast and was near Norfolk, Virginia at 1 a.m. EST on the 10th, Georgetown, Delaware at 7 a.m. EST on the 10th, Atlantic City, New Jersey at 10 a.m. EST on the 10th and just east of Seaside Heights, New Jersey at 4 p.m. EST on the 10th. The low pressure system then drifted slowly east the rest of the afternoon into the overnight of the 10th. The pass of the low pressure system into the state permitted warmer air aloft and at the surface to make it into Delaware during the late evening of the 9th and the first half of the day on the 10th, before the heavier snow and then blizzard conditions occurred.

A major winter storm dropped 15 to 25 inches of snow across most of Delaware from the afternoon of the 5th into the afternoon of the 6th. The 25.8 inches of snow that fell at New Castle County Airport was the largest single snowfall event on record breaking the previous record of 22.7 inches set during the blizzard of January 1996. Snow overspread Delaware between 2 p.m. EST and 4 p.m. EST on the 5th and fell at its heaviest during the first half of the day on the 6th. The snow ended from south to north between 3 p.m. EST and 7 p.m. EST on the 6th.||Governor Jack Markell declared a state of emergency and travel restriction for the whole state of Delaware that started at 8 p.m. EST on the 5th. The travel restriction was lifted at 8 p.m. EST on the 6th. The governor ordered nonessential state employees not to report to work on the evening of the 5th and anytime on the 6th. The National Guard was deployed to assist with stranded vehicles. Sussex County was hit the hardest with about 14,000 power outages and Harbeson had widespread outages as trees were knocked down and poles were snapped.||Because of the state of emergency and travel ban as well as the snow starting on a Friday (the 5th) and fell at its heaviest on a Saturday (the 6th), the number of reported accidents and disabled vehicles was relatively lower. State Police reported about 50 accidents with four injuries throughout the state. There were nearly 300 disabled vehicles that were stuck in the snow as many major roadways became impassable. In Sussex County, the strong winds also knocked down about 60 trees, tree limbs and wires onto roadways.||The onshore flow around the low pressure system also caused some minor tidal flooding around the times of both high tides during the early morning and again during the afternoon on the 6th in Sussex County. The highest tide at Breakwater Harbor reached 6.29 feet above mean lower low water on the afternoon of the 6th. Minor tidal flooding starts at 6.0 feet above mean lower low water.||Representative snowfall included 25.8 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 25.0 inches in Bridgeville (Sussex County), 24.3 inches in Newark (New Castle County), 22.0 inches in Milton (Sussex County) and Dover (Kent County), 20.6 inches in Lewes (Sussex County), 17.7 inches in Harrington (Kent County) and 15.6 inches in Delmar (Sussex County).||The winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that moved west to east across northern Mexico and emerged in the Gulf of Mexico near Brownsville, Texas on the morning of the 4th. The low pressure system moved east and was located near New Orleans, Louisiana at 7 p.m. EST on the 4th and Mobile, Alabama at 7 a.m. EST on the 5th. The low pressure system then started to move northeast and was near Wilmington, North Carolina at 7 p.m. EST on the 5th; Elizabeth City, North Carolina at 1 a.m. EST on the 6th; the Virginia coastal waters at 7 a.m. EST on the 6th and then drifted slowly east off the lower Delmarva Peninsula the rest of the day on the 6th. The storm track was perfect for heavy snow for Delaware.

Strong to high southerly winds affected Delaware during the morning of the 25th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph, with the strongest winds in the southern part of the state. The strong winds caused isolated power outages as the combination of the rain and wind helped knock down weak trees, tree limbs and power lines. Peak winds included 58 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County), 55 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County), 52 mph in Dover (Kent County), 48 mph in Lewes (Sussex County) and 41 mph at the New Castle County Airport.| |The strong to high winds were caused by a tight surface pressure gradient (difference) between a low pressure system that was moving north just to the east of the central Appalachians and a high pressure system over the western Atlantic Ocean. The strong southerly flow started to mix down to the surface after the low pressure system���s warm front moved north of Delaware. The winds subsided during the afternoon as the low pressure system���s cold front approached the area and the area of strong winds between 3000 feet and 5000 feet moved away from Delaware.

Strong and gusty west to northwest winds occurred for nearly twenty-four hours across Delaware from the evening of the 2nd through the afternoon of the 3rd. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and downed weak trees, tree limbs and power lines and resulted in widely scattered power outages.||Peak wind gusts included 53 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 50 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 48 mph in Sandtown (Kent County) and 47 mph in Dover (Kent County). ||The strong winds were caused by the pressure difference between an intense low pressure system that retrograded from the Nova Scotia coastal waters to the Gulf of Maine on the 2nd and 3rd and a strong high pressure system located over the northern plains. The strongest winds occurred as the low pressure system continued its retrogression west through Nova Scotia on the evening of the 2nd and persisted until the low started to weaken and move to the east again, on the 3rd.

A low pressure system that formed off the Carolina coast on the 6th meandered slowly northeast into the 10th before it started to retrograde toward the Delaware and New Jersey coasts the night of the 10th. A weak onshore flow persisted for much of the week, but intensified as the low pressure system moved into Delaware Bay and made landfall in Delaware during the morning of the 11th. The low pressure system slowly weakened as it moved into the Delaware River Valley later on the 11th into the 12th. ||The pressure gradient (difference) caused by a high pressure system over eastern New England and the Canadian Maritimes and the low pressure produced the strongest northeast winds, the highest tides and roughest surf during the first half of the day on the 11th. Because this event occurred during the neap lunar tide cycle, tidal flooding was just minor as beach erosion due to the large wave action had the highest impact along coastal areas. Peak wind gusts reached between 40 and 60 mph across the state with the highest gusts in Sussex County. The combination of the persistent winds and heavy rain caused several trees, tree limbs and wires to be knocked down across the state. ||The strong to high winds caused power outages across the state and about 1,000 homes and businesses were still without power on the evening of the 11th. In Bear (New Castle County), the strong winds damaged a pool.||Pockets of minor tidal flooding occurred during the mid day high tide on the 10th and again with the overnight high tide early on the 11th. Some overwashes occurred in Kitts Hummock (Kent County), off of Cedar Road in Slaughter Beach (Sussex County) and near the Indian River Inlet Bridge (Sussex County). Some beach erosion was reported and sand fencing was knocked down or washed away in Dewey Beach, Bethany and South Bethany. ||Peak wind gusts included 60 mph at Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County), 56 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 46 mph in Sandtown (Kent County), 43 mph in Delaware City (New Castle County), 40 mph in Dover (Kent County) and 38 mph at the New Castle County Airport.

A northward moving warm front during the morning of the 9th, produced some showers and thunderstorms. As the region became entrenched in the warm sector during the day, this helped to ignite some additional thunderstorms through the evening of the 9th. Delmarva Power and Electric reported about 17,500 of its customers lost power across the peninsula.

A cold front that moved through the state Friday afternoon helped produce strong to severe thunderstorms during the late afternoon of the 31st. Most of the wind damage occurred as a line of severe thunderstorms known as a bow echo moved across the state. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 8,000 homes and businesses lost power across the Delmarva Peninsula. Power was fully restored by August 1st.

Strong to high winds affected Delaware during the day on the 12th. The highest winds occurred shortly after a cold frontal passage around 7 a.m. EST and again around 3 p.m. EST in the afternoon. Peak wind gusts averaged between 55 and 60 mph and knocked down numerous tree limbs, weak trees and power lines. The strongest recorded winds were in New Castle County. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 4,600 homes and businesses in Delaware and Cecil County Maryland lost power. A downed tree started a small fire in Wilmington (New Castle County). The high winds caused a tractor-trailer to flip over on southbound Delaware State Route 1 just north of Thompsonville Road in Kent County. The high winds also snapped railroad crossing arms in Clayton (Kent County).||Peak wind gusts included 60 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 55 mph in Lewes (Sussex County) and Dover (Kent County), 50 mph in Bear (New Castle County), 49 mph in Sandtown (Kent County) and 43 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County).||The strong and high winds were caused by the pressure difference between an intensifying low pressure system that moved through the lower Saint Lawrence River Valley, northern New England and the Canadian Maritimes and an approaching high pressure system from the lower Mississippi Valley. The winds increased after a cold front moved through the state between 3 a.m. EST and 5 a.m. EST on the morning of the 12th and slowly subsided that night.

A frontal boundary was draped from the southern Mid Atlantic region southwestward to the northern Gulf of Mexico. An area of low pressure developed along this front across the lower Mississippi Valley late in the day on the 27th. The storm system then moved northeastward and tracked near the Ohio River Valley during the morning of the 28th. As the storm continued to track northeastward, it strengthened as it moved into New England during the early evening hours of the 28th. An associated cold front then swept across the Mid Atlantic region during the early evening hours of the 28th.||A cold air mass ahead of the system allowed for snow to overspread the area generally from south to north during the early morning of the 27th. As milder air then worked in especially above the surface, the snow changed to sleet and freezing rain before going over to plain rain during the night of the 27th. The freezing rain and sleet however held on longer across the northern part of the state during the morning of the 28th. The combination of the frozen and freezing precipitation created a high impact event and produced very slippery conditions on the roadways throughout Delaware. State Police reported that even the main roads turned very slippery during the height of the storm, especially once the snow mixed with sleet then changed to freezing rain. The Delaware Department of Transportation (DELDOT) was reported to get a good portion of the roads cleared during the early morning hours of the 28th. Kent County, especially from Dover on northward and also across New Castle County, State Police reported that the roads remained rather icy the longest. Numerous accidents were reported across the state with several injuries. State and County Officials advised people to stay off the roads if at all possible, especially in Kent and New Castle Counties. A power outage was reported in the Claymont area (New Castle County) around 12:15 PM EST on the 28th due to a blown Amtrak transformer. No details were available on what caused the transformer to blow.||Governor Jack Markell declared a two-hour delay on the opening of state government offices on the 28th in New Castle and Kent Counties to allow more time for roads to be cleared. Statewide, the state police reported 123 traffic accidents between 10:00 AM EST on the 27th and 10:00 AM EST on the 28th. The bulk of the crashes occurred in New Castle County where there were 62 reported, 5 of which involved injuries. Administrators closed schools on the 28th in the Smyrna School District and Providence Creek Academy in Clayton (Kent County) because of the wintry weather.||As some milder air moved northward over the snow and ice on the 28th, dense fog developed and contributed to an accident near Felton (Kent County) during the afternoon. A state police officer���s cruiser was struck while at a stop sign at Canterbury and Midstate roads. Dense fog prevented another vehicle from seeing the police cruiser, which rear-ended the police officer���s car. The collision had pushed the police cruiser into the intersection. After the officer got out too check on things, another vehicle smashed into the police cruiser because the driver did not see it due to the poor visibility. The impact destroyed the police cruiser. The driver of the second car was injured.||Some total snowfall reports included; 1.8 inches at both the New Castle County Airport in Wilmington and in Bear (New Castle County) and 1.0 in in Greenwood (Sussex County). Some ice accumulation totals included; 0.25 of an inch at both the New Castle County Airport in Wilmington and in Bear (New Castle County).

High winds buffeted Delaware during the afternoon of the 31st. Numerous tree limbs, trees and power lines were knocked down. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 40,000 homes and businesses lost power in their service area including Delaware. Power was last restored to homes in New Castle County as late as January 2, 2009. Delaware Electric Cooperative reported about 1,900 homes and businesses lost power in Kent and Sussex Counties. ||In Sussex County, a vehicle was damaged after a heating and air-conditioning unit was blown off the roof of a store in the Tanger Outlet Center in Rehoboth. A large fire at the Irish Eyes Restaurant in Lewes was tough to contain and battle because of the high winds during the afternoon. The restaurant was severely damaged. In Kent County, a few homes in Smyrna lost shingles. One downed tree damaged a home, garage and two vehicles. Although winds started to decrease that evening, many outdoor activities and fireworks in celebration of the New Year were cancelled in Dover and Wilmington. ||Peak wind gusts included 74 mph in Hartley (Kent County), 70 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 59 mph at the New Castle County Airport and 51 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County).||The high winds were caused by the large pressure difference between a rapidly intensifying Alberta Clipper type low pressure system moving through New England and a strong high pressure system approaching from the upper Mississippi Valley.

A wintry mix of mainly freezing rain and some sleet fell during the first half of the day across Kent and New Castle Counties in Delaware. Plain rain fell farther to the south. Around two tenths of an inch of ice accrued on exposed surfaces and took down some weak power lines. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 1,400 homes and businesses lost power in their service area. The greatest concentration in Delaware was around Dover. Untreated roadways were treacherous. Because this occurred on a Sunday morning, the number of reported accidents was relatively low. Speed restrictions were placed on Interstate 495 in New Castle County. ||The wintry mix was caused by a low pressure system that moved from the Mississippi Valley on the morning of the 20th east into southwest Ontario Province on the morning of the 21st. A secondary low pressure system formed on the system's triple point over North Carolina that morning and moved northeast passing Cape Cod as it became the primary low pressure system early in the evening on the 21st. The secondary low pressure system helped maintain surface winds from the northeast and kept temperatures below freezing until the event ended on the morning of the 21st.

Tropical Storm Hanna brought heavy rain and strong winds in Delaware and some minor tidal flooding in Delaware Bay on the 6th. Rain moved into the region during the morning, fell heavy at times in the afternoon and ended during the early evening. Storm totals ranged from around 1 to around 3.5 inches with the highest amounts in New Castle County. The strongest winds occurred during the late morning and afternoon with peak gusts as high as 53 mph. About 10,000 homes and businesses lost power on the Delmarva Peninsula. All power was restored by the 7th. Minor tidal flooding occurred in Delaware Bay during the afternoon as the surge averaged two to three feet. Many planned outdoor activities were cancelled. ||The heavy rain caused minor roadway and low lying area flooding. The unseasonably dry weather leading into Hanna prevented stream and river flooding from occurring. The pounding surf caused about a three foot vertical cut to occur at Rehoboth Beach. ||Peak wind gusts included 53 mph in Slaughter Beach (Sussex County), 45 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 44 mph in Indian River (Sussex County) and Dover (Kent County), 38 mph at Rehoboth Beach and 33 mph at the New Castle County Airport. Precipitation totals included 3.69 inches in Newark (New Castle County), 3.33 inches in Glasgow (New Castle County), 3.32 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 2.07 inches in Georgetown (Sussex County), 2.04 inches in Rehoboth Beach (Sussex County), 1.77 inches in Milford (Sussex County), 1.53 inches in Smyrna (Kent County) and 1.25 inches in Dover (Kent County). The high tide at Reedys Point (New Castle County) peaked at 7.22 feet above mean lower low water at 524 p.m. EDT on the 6th. Minor tidal flooding starts at 7.2 feet above mean lower low water. ||Tropical Storm Hanna made landfall at about 320 a.m. EDT on September 6th near the border of North and South Carolina. The tropical storm proceeded to move northeast. At 8 a.m. EDT, Hanna was near Goldsboro, North Carolina; at 11 a.m. EDT just southeast of Emporia, Virginia; at 2 p.m. EDT near Williamsburg, Virginia, at 5 p.m. EDT in Dorchester County, Maryland. Hanna then cut across northwest Sussex County in Delaware and entered Delaware Bay and made landfall in New Jersey close to 7 p.m. EDT in eastern Cumberland County. At 8 p.m. EDT Hanna was located in northern Atlantic County, New Jersey and exited the state near Island Beach State Park in Ocean County. At 11 p.m. EDT, Hanna was about to make landfall in western Suffolk County in New York State. Hanna continued to move northeast through eastern Long Island and New England overnight on the 6th.

An approaching cold front that ended a week long heat wave also triggered severe thunderstorms across Delaware during the afternoon and early evening on the 23rd. The thunderstorms caused outages to about 9,000 homes and businesses in New Castle County. There were still 6,000 homes and businesses without power at 11 p.m. EDT.

A potent low pressure system in the Ohio Valley during the early morning hours of May 11th moved eastward and gradually weakened. A secondary low formed over northeastern North Carolina during the late afternoon on the 11th and eventually absorbed the other low pressure system, becoming the dominant storm. This storm gradually moved east northeastward late on the 11th into the 12th. Early on the morning of the 12th, the storm was centered over the southern Delmarva. As this storm strengthened fairly rapidly, a strong northeasterly wind developed and persisted through the evening of the 12th. The prolonged northeast flow combined with higher than normal tides, caused widespread minor to moderate tidal flooding along the coast of Delaware. Heavy rain also impacted the state, especially central and southern sections. By the evening of the 12th, the coastal storm tracked eastward and gradually moved away from the region.||It was reported that downtown Delaware City (New Castle County) flooded at high tide, which took place from 5:30 AM to 6:00 AM EDT on the 12th. Locations that were impacted by flooding included the first blocks of Clinton and Washington streets, as well as around the entrance to the trailer park. The high tide also caused damage to the Delaware City Park off of Clinton Street as the waves tore up some of the brick sidewalk along the sea wall. At 6:10 AM EDT on the 12th, crews responded to a report of an automobile stranded in high water on Old State Road in Middletown (New Castle County). Another call came in at 9:10 AM EDT with a report of another vehicle stranded at the same location. In Christiana Hundred (New Castle County), a large tree fell into a home in the 300 Block at around 11:00 AM EDT on the 12th. There was considerable damage to the second floor of the home.||At Slaughter Beach (Sussex County), heavy wind pushed water over the area���s sand dunes and onto roadways, which blocked off Route 36 and Slaughter Beach Road. Fire trucks and rescue personnel ran a ferry service across the waters to bring Slaughter Beach residents who needed to go home, and those who wanted to leave. The water rose as high as four and a half feet at some points, and by the end of the morning of the 13th, the Army National Guard had to deploy full-sized transports to navigate the roads, and for evacuation only. While the town itself suffered only light damage, major roads were not usable again until the afternoon of the 13th. Perhaps the hardest hit by the storm were the residents of Milford Neck at the end of Lighthouse Road at Slaughter Beach. The ���That���s Right Fresh Seaford��� processing facility suffered heavy damage when wind blew water into the steel building at a height of four feet. In addition, the home at the point, many not raised to avoid flood waters, suffered damage. A car was swamped by rising water from Canary Creek on New Road in Lewes (Sussex County) on the 12th. The road was closed when high tides caused the banks to overflow. Several roads in and around Bethany Beach (Sussex County) were still flooded on the 13th, a day after the storm. Peters Field Ditch, which runs behind Broadkill Beach (Sussex County) from the Broadkill River, overflowed its banks during the Nor���easter on the 12th, which created an inland bay behind the Delaware Bay community. Water from Delaware Bay, on the 12th, spilled into the marsh near Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge (Sussex County) between Broadkill Beach and Slaughter Beach when a breach occurred from strong winds and higher tides. ||Lighthouse Road, which is just north of Slaughter Beach (Sussex County), was completely flooded. In Prime Hook Beach, flooding started around 5:00 AM EDT on the 12th, and roads, including the one to the nature center were closed about 7:00 AM EDT. Cedar Beach Road was also closed back to Clark's Board Storage, and the other avenue into the bayfront community. Trees were knocked down in Rehoboth Beach (Sussex County) on the 12th as high winds and soggy ground proved to be too much. Major erosion along the dune was noted at the north end of the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach. Although a new dune held in Bethany Beach (Sussex County), large waves created from the Nor���easter on the 12th eroded a section, which created a large drop-off. Erosion was also noted at many other beaches, such as Dewey Beach (Sussex County).||Road closures and flooding were reported from coastal Sussex inland to the Oak Orchard area. In Dewey Beach (Sussex County), a stretch of Route 1, including the Indian River Inlet Bridge, was closed due to flooding. Portions of Cupola Park, in Millsboro (Sussex County), were flooded as storm water from Millsboro Pond ran over. Strong winds completely toppled over a Food Lion sign on Route 16 in Georgetown (Sussex County), and Wilmington University and Del Tech were forced to reschedule graduation ceremonies when the graduation tent collapsed because of strong winds. Cape Henlopen (Sussex County) students were sent home by 1:00 PM EDT on the 12th because of the affects of the storm. At 1:00 PM EDT on the 12th, The Delaware Department of Transportation closed three Sussex County roads because of high water. These included Route 209 and 224 in the Slaughter Beach area and Route 312 in the Oak Orchard area. High tide flooding resulted in the closing of Route 1 along the coast between Dewey Beach and Fred Hudson Road. State Police had numerous reports of downed wires, trees and tree limbs in roadways, and flooding on some streets and highways. Storm-driven tides flooded Savannah Road on Lewes Beach on the 12th and surrounded the Howard Seymour Water Reclamation Plant (Sussex County). ||In South Bowers (Kent County), the dunes that were between the surf���s edge and the elevated homes were essentially wiped away. Several boats appeared to have been missing as a result of the wind and storm surge. The homes on Route 36 before the bridge were those that were primarily affected by the flooding. West Milford (Kent County) was covered with between one and two feet of water during the storm that roared through the region on the morning of the 12th. Several downtown structures suffered minor water damage, including the Department of Health and Social Service building on Southeast Front Street, which was closed until the 16th. In Milford (Kent County), police evacuated employees from two state service centers, one on Church Street and the other on Walnut Street, as the Mispillion River overflowed its banks starting the night of the 11th. Bicentennial Park was under water, as were portions of Washington Street, Park Avenue and North East Front Street. The flooding persisted until early on the 13th. ||Some 150 residents of Kent County along the Delaware Bay were evacuated from their homes early on the 12th as high winds and heavy rains from a Nor'easter caused severe coastal flooding. Some took shelter at the Little Creek Fire Hall. The coastal regions of Kitts Hummock and Pickering Beach received the brunt of the high water, with reports of flooding nearing 6 feet. About 175 people were evacuated from Kitts Hummock and about 50 from Pickering Beach. Initially rescuers plucked people from homes in Pickering Beach and Kitts Hummock using nine boats, but then as the tide receded and water levels became shallower, National Guard trucks went from home to home. The water in some homes was nearly knee deep. At Pickering Beach, east of Dover Air Force Base, National Guard trucks ferried about 50 residents to safety early on the 12th after the churning surf washed over the dune line and swirled around the pilings of the small cottages. Some vehicles were buried in the sand and water. The Bowers Fire Department reported that about 30 evacuees stayed temporarily at the fire station during the morning of the 12th, and about 40 others had sought refuge elsewhere. The flooding began around 2:30 AM EDT on the 12th. A Pickering Beach resident reported that the waves during the morning of the 12th, crashed over the two family cars.||Downed trees and flooding occurred in the Smyrna area (Kent County) on the 12th. On Hillyard Road, a large tree fell onto a home around 2:30 AM EDT, which damaged the homes roof. The Delaware Army National Guard assisted with a voluntary evacuation of Woodland Beach (Kent County) on the 12th, after the only road to the community was impassable after sections of the road were lifted up and washed away. At South Bowers Fire Company (Kent County), firefighters evacuated people from Big Stone and South Bowers beaches at about 3:00 AM EDT on the 12th. Water flooded about a mile and a half inland. In South Bowers (Kent County), fishing boats were washed up into the marshes and tidal flooding of the Mispillion River, which runs through Milford (Kent County), caused officials to cut electricity to the area. There were also vehicles stranded in the water in Milford. The American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula and Kent County Emergency Management opened a shelter at the Little Creek Fire Department on Main Street in Little Creek (Kent County) at 4:00 AM EDT on the 12th. About 15 people were at the shelter. After a mandatory evacuation of Kitts Hummock and Pickering Beach (Kent County), the numbers at the shelter rose to 25 or 30. A large tree was blown over in Dover (Kent County) at the corner of Governors Avenue and Governors Boulevard. There were also reports of other fallen trees along with downed power lines throughout Dover.||Delaware Electric Cooperative reported that they had some 10,500 outages by 9:00 AM EDT on the 12th, as two substations were lost. Problem areas included Long Neck, Selbyville and Frankford (Sussex County). Crews found that because the rain drenched the ground, which combined with high winds, downed poles and even snapped some cross-arms. About 23,500 Delmarva Power customers were without power on the 12th as high winds downed trees and power lines, most of which were in Sussex County. The peak of the outages was about 23,000, which included about 675 Delmarva Power customers in Kent County. Power outages, as a result of the storm, forced the courts in Georgetown (Sussex County) to close on the 12th, as well as schools across Sussex County. Electric customers east of U.S. 113 (Sussex County) were hit the hardest by the outages, but power was largely restored by the early afternoon hours of the 12th. ||Multiple schools across the state let students out early on the 12th and excused students in overly flooded areas from attending classes. Officials shut down service of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry on the 12th because of the strong winds and higher tides. The Nor���easter on May 12th added insult to injury as 2 to 4 inches of rain that fell up until then in parts of Delaware impacted crops. A couple of corn crops that were newly planted were completely flooded, which could mean they may likely not produce. The coastal storm produced tidal flooding, which caused the most damage, as the salty water can be lethal to crops, according to experts. An estimated 1,000 acres of farmland may have been affected by the tidal flooding from this storm.||Tidal flooding from Delaware Bay impacted the state during the night of the 11th and through at least midday on the 12th. Tidal flooding of minor to moderate occurred along coastal areas. The tidal gage at Reedy Point peaked at 8.3 feet mean lower low water at 6:00 AM EDT on the 12th. Moderate flooding begins at 8.2 feet mean lower low water. In addition, the Delaware City tidal gage peaked at 9.1 feet mean lower low water at 6:00 AM EDT on the 12th. This was reported to be a new record since the gage was installed in 2001. The tidal gage at Lewes peaked at 7.9 feet mean lower low water at 6:00 AM EDT on the 12th. Moderate flooding begins at 7.7 feet mean lower low water. The tidal gage at Bowers Beach peaked at 9.78 feet mean lower low water at 4:00 AM EDT on the 12th (flood state is 7.0 feet), and this was reported to be an all-time record height.||Some peak wind gusts included: 68 mph at Lewes; 67 mph at Brandywine Light and Brandywine Harbor; 60 mph at Dover Air Force Base; 51 mph at the Georgetown Airport; 48 mph at the New Castle County Airport in Wilmington; and 46 mph in Sandtown. Some rainfall totals included: 4.07 inches in Redden; 3.21 inches in Millsboro; 2.37 inches in Greenwood; 2.36 inches in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge; 1.98 inches in Bethany Beach; and 1.82 inches in Dover.

A line of severe thunderstorms that accompanied a cold frontal passage produced wind damage across northern Delaware during the late afternoon of the 8th. The combination of the severe storms and the strong winds which followed caused about 15,000 Delmarva Power and Light customers to lose power.

A line of severe thunderstorms that accompanied a cold frontal passage produced wind damage across northern Delaware during the late afternoon of the 8th. The combination of the severe storms and then strong winds which followed caused about 15,000 Delmarva Power and Light customers to lose power. Elsewhere in the state, there were less power outages, but strong winds caused damage in Kent County and contributed to a death in Sussex County. A 52-year-old man from Delaware Electric Cooperative died after he tried to restore power to a home in Dagsboro. In Kent County, the strong winds blew a 30 foot by 60 foot section of a roof from a barn. The walls of the barn then partially collapsed. It took until the 10th to get all power restored. The last to be restored (all in New Castle County) were Arden, Brandywine Hundred, Newark and Wilmington.||Peak wind gusts included 53 mph in Dover (Kent County), 50 mph in Blackbird (New Castle County) and 48 mph in Lewes (Sussex County). Higher wind gusts occurred in New Castle County when the line of severe storms moved through. ||The strong winds were caused by the pressure difference between an intensifying low pressure system that moved through New England on the night of the 8th and a high pressure system moving northeast from the western Gulf States. The strong winds began in the warm sector preceding the cold front during the late afternoon on the 8th as well as in the northwest flow that evening.

Strong and gusty west winds accompanied and persisted behind a cold front from around 9 a.m. EST into the middle of the afternoon on the 30th in Delaware. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and most of the strongest gusts occurred during the second half of the morning.||The strong winds toppled utility poles onto Philadelphia Pike (New Castle County). The road was closed in both directions as utility crews removed the poles. The strong winds also knocked down power lines in the Wilmington and Brandywine areas of New Castle County. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 5,000 of their customers lost power in their service area. In Kent County, downed power lines caused power outages in Smyrna. ||Peak wind gusts included 55 mph in Dover (Kent County), 50 mph in Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County), 49 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 43 mph in Lewes (Sussex County) and 41 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County).

A strong area of high pressure was anchored over southeastern Canada on December 15th. This high gradually moved eastward during the day, however it wedged itself down into the Mid Atlantic region. Meanwhile, a storm system became more organized across the Gulf Coast states. This storm tracked northeastward from the 15th to the 16th. As the main storm tracked into Ohio on the 16th, a secondary area of low pressure developed near southern Delaware during that morning. Strong winds resulted as the storm intensified, mostly as the storm itself began to depart during the evening of the 16th.||Peak winds averaged around 50 mph. Power outages occurred in New Castle County in Pike Creek, Hockessin and Wilmington. Nearly one thousand homes and businesses lost power. Actual peak wind gusts included 53 mph in Dover (Kent County), 49 mph in Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County), 44 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County) and Townsend (New Castle County) and 43 mph at the New Castle County Airport.

Strong winds buffeted Delaware during the second half of the morning and the afternoon on the 3rd. Highest wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and downed trees and caused scattered power outages. In New Castle County, in Greenville, downed trees and tree limbs caused about 500 homes and businesses to lose power in the Claymont Avenue area. In the county downed tree limbs caused minor traffic delays. All power was restored by 6 p.m. EST that evening. In Kent County, a fire in a Milford home was spread faster by the strong winds.||Specific wind gusts included 60 mph in Delaware Bay at Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County), 52 mph in Dover (Kent County), 51 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 49 mph in Bear (New Castle County) and 41 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County). The strong winds were caused by the pressure difference between a low pressure system that was intensifying as it was moving through the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system building toward the northeast from the Southern Plains.

One of the hottest and most humid air masses of the summer affected Delaware on the 7th and 8th. Highest temperatures were near 100 degrees in most areas. The 8th was the hottest day. In addition, dew point temperatures, especially on the 8th were as high as the mid to upper 70s. This produced afternoon heat indices as high as 105F to 110F in the state. The largest heat related problem occurred in Dewey and Rehoboth Beach as power was lost up to nine hours. A circuit breaker caught fire during the late afternoon of the 8th and caused a blackout in much of Rehoboth Beach and all of Dewey Beach. Businesses lost hundreds of thousands of dollars because of either spoiled food and or lost business revenues.||Highest temperatures included 100 degrees in Dover (Kent County), Redden (Sussex County), Prime Hook (Sussex County) and Blackbird (New Castle County), 99 degrees in Georgetown (Sussex County) and Sandtown (Kent County) and 97 degrees at the New Castle County Airport. A cold front moved through the area late in the night of the 8th. While there were some high temperatures in the lower 90s on the 9th, humidity levels were much lower.

A heat wave brought unseasonably hot weather to Delaware on July 8th through the 10th. The highest temperatures were on the 9th and 10th and were mostly in the mid to upper 90s. The combination of the heat and humidity produced afternoon heat indices of around 100F both afternoons. Cloudiness that preceded a cold front on the 11th prevented most places from reaching 90F again. During the heat wave, Delaware Electric Cooperative requested customers to use less power. Four cooling stations were opened in Sussex County. Portable air condition sales jumped about 50 percent.||Highest temperatures included 99 degrees in Prime Hook (Sussex County), 98 degrees in Dover and Milford (Kent County), 97 degrees in Sandtown and Smyrna (Kent County), Greenwood and Seaford (Sussex County) and 96 degrees in Blackbird and Middletown (New Castle County) and Bethany Beach (Sussex County).

An intense nor'easter brought strong to high winds to the region on the 16th. The strongest winds occurred as the nor'easter pulled northeast of the region on the 16th from the early morning into the afternoon. The combination of the heavy rain, even some snow and the winds helped knock down numerous trees and power lines. Peak wind gusts averaged 40 to 60 mph.|The downed trees and wires caused about 14,500 homes and businesses to lose power on the 16th in New Castle County and 3,700 homes and businesses in Sussex County. In New Castle County, outages were centered in Wilmington, Brandywine and Hockessin. The lack of power caused activities to be cancelled at the Hockessin Community Center and Library. In Sussex County, Service was suspended for two days (16th and 17th) on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry that crosses Delaware Bay. The combination of the wind and higher than normal tides caused some sand to be lost along the ocean beaches.|Peak wind gusts included 60 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 56 mph in Dover (Kent County), 56 mph at the Dover Air Force Base (Kent County), 53 mph in Bear (New Castle County), 49 mph in Delaware City (New Castle County), 47 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County) and 44 mph in Blackbird.|The nor'easter low pressure system initially formed in the southern Rockies on the 12th and moved to Arkansas on the morning of the 14th. At 8 p.m. EDT on the 14th, there were two low pressure systems, one in Kentucky and the other in western Alabama. The southern low pressure system became the predominate one overnight and at 8 a.m. EDT on the 15th, it (996 millibar low) was located in western North Carolina. As the 15th continued, it moved northeast and intensified rapidly. At 2 p.m. EDT the nor'easter (989 millibars) was near Raleigh, North Carolina. At 8 p.m. EDT, the nor'easter was a 979 millibar low pressure system near Virginia Beach, Virginia. Another low pressure system formed on its warm front during the afternoon over Chesapeake Bay and at 8 p.m. EDT it (982 millibars) was over extreme southwest New Jersey. The lows consolidated into one again overnight and a very intense 973 millibar low pressure system was located over Monmouth County, New Jersey at 2 a.m. EDT on the 16th. At 8 a.m. EDT on the 16th the nor'easter was down to 968 millibars and located over New York City. That was a drop in central pressure of 28 millibars in 24 hours which qualified it as a meteorological bomb (a drop in central pressure of at least 24 millibars in 24 hours) low pressure system. The nor'easter bottomed at a pressure of about 966 millibars (28.53 inches) at 11 a.m. EDT just south of Long Island, New York. To put into prospective how low the pressure was with this nor'easter, that central pressure is near the border of the pressure defined category 2 and category 3 hurricane once used on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. As the 16th continued, the nor'easter weakened and meandered across southwest New England and the New York and New Jersey coastal waters. By 2 a.m. EDT on the 17th, the nor'easter's central pressure rose to 988 millibars and a second storm formed on the triple point of its fronts south of Nova Scotia. This became the main low pressure system. The low pressure system then slowly moved southeast over the next couple of days. The heaviest precipitation fell as the low pressure system was rapidly intensifying on the 15th into the early part of the 16th. The strongest winds ceased after the low pressure system started to fill on the afternoon of the 16th.

An intense nor'easter brought heavy rain and flooding to Delaware on the 15th and strong to high winds to the region on the 16th. Rain began falling during the evening on the 14th, but fell at its heaviest from about 3 a.m. EDT through about 3 p.m. EDT on the 15th. Rain continued through the evening and the night of the 15th and actually changed to snow for a couple of hours in Kent and New Castle Counties during the pre-dawn hours of the 16th as the upper level low pressure system moved across the area. Accumulations were about an inch on grassy areas. Precipitation then changed back to rain and ended during the morning of the 16th. Event precipitation totals averaged 3 to 5 inches. The strongest winds occurred as the nor'easter pulled northeast of the region on the 16th from the early morning into the afternoon. The combination of the heavy rain, even some snow and the winds helped knock down numerous trees and power lines. Peak wind gusts averaged 40 to 60 mph.| |The nor'easter low pressure system initially formed in the southern Rockies on the 12th and moved to Arkansas on the morning of the 14th. At 8 p.m. EDT on the 14th, there were two low pressure systems, one in Kentucky and the other in western Alabama. The southern low pressure system became the predominate one overnight and at 8 a.m. EDT on the 15th, it (996 millibar low) was located in western North Carolina. As the 15th continued, it moved northeast and intensified rapidly. At 2 p.m. EDT the nor'easter (989 millibars) was near Raleigh, North Carolina. At 8 p.m. EDT, the nor'easter was a 979 millibar low pressure system near Virginia Beach, Virginia. Another low pressure system formed on its warm front during the afternoon over Chesapeake Bay and at 8 p.m. EDT it (982 millibars) was over extreme southwest New Jersey. The lows consolidated into one again overnight and a very intense 973 millibar low pressure system was located over Monmouth County, New Jersey at 2 a.m. EDT on the 16th. At 8 a.m. EDT on the 16th the nor'easter was down to 968 millibars and located over New York City. That was a drop in central pressure of 28 millibars in 24 hours which qualified it as a meteorological bomb (a drop in central pressure of at least 24 millibars in 24 hours) low pressure system. The nor'easter bottomed at a pressure of about 966 millibars (28.53 inches) at 11 a.m. EDT just south of Long Island, New York. To put into prospective how low the pressure was with this nor'easter, that central pressure is near the border of the pressure defined category 2 and category 3 hurricane once used on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. As the 16th continued, the nor'easter weakened and meandered across southwest New England and the New York and New Jersey coastal waters. By 2 a.m. EDT on the 17th, the nor'easter's central pressure rose to 988 millibars and a second storm formed on the triple point of its fronts south of Nova Scotia. This became the main low pressure system. The low pressure system then slowly moved southeast over the next couple of days. The heaviest precipitation fell as the low pressure system was rapidly intensifying on the 15th into the early part of the 16th. The strongest winds ceased after the low pressure system started to fill on the afternoon of the 16th.

A nor'easter caused sleet to fall across New Castle County from the morning and into the evening of the 16th and a wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet to fall in Kent County during the evening of the 16th. Heavy rain fell prior to the change to the wintry mix in Kent County. The nor'easter caused numerous accidents, especially in New Castle County where over 100 accidents were reported. Accumulations averaged 1 to 3 inches in New Castle County and an inch or less in Kent County. Ice accretions averaged less than one tenth of an inch in Kent County. |Precipitation started as rain across the region during the evening of the 15th. But as colder air moved in aloft, precipitation changed to sleet during the morning of the 16th in New Castle County. As the low pressure system tracked closer to the state during the afternoon of the 16th, the change to sleet stopped in New Castle County. As the low moved farther offshore, and the winds backed more to the north, colder air filtered south into Kent County and changed precipitation over to sleet and freezing during the evening of the 16th. All precipitation ended across the area around 1 a.m. EDT on the 17th. |In New Castle County, one of the worst reported accidents occurred in the Red Lion area. Six people were injured, one seriously when two vehicles collided at Old Porter and Red Lion Roads. An evening crash forced the state police to close Southbound Delaware State Route 1 between Tybouts Corner and Wrangle Hill Road (Delaware State Route 72) for about two hours. Several area roadways became gridlocked as workers rushed home early. The city of Wilmington dismissed non-essential workers an hour early. The city also postponed the Saint Patrick's Day parade that was scheduled to occur the next day (Saturday the 17th).| |Sleet accumulations included 3.0 inches in Hockessin, 2.9 inches in Pine Creek Valley and 2.4 inches at the New Castle County Airport. The wintry weather was caused by a nor'easter low pressure system that developed on a cold front that moved through the area on the 15th. Prior to that, unseasonably mild air helped push high temperatures as high as the 70s. A strong high pressure system moved across nearby Canada and supplied a fresh supply of cold air into the region. Meanwhile, the low pressure system formed over South Carolina and Georgia on the morning of the 16th and moved northeast. At 2 p.m. EDT on the 16th, it was near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; at 8 p.m. EDT that evening, it was just east of Virginia Beach; at 2 a.m. EDT on the 17th, it was about 100 miles east of Atlantic City, New Jersey and was about 100 miles south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts at 8 a.m. EDT on the 17th. As central pressures go, this was not particularly a powerful system; it was only 996 millibars the morning of the 17th. What contributed to the event was the strong high pressure system (about 1040 millibars the morning of the 16th). It supplied the fresh cold air and increased the pressure gradient (and consequently the wind) between itself and the developing nor'easter low pressure system.

As the nor'easter intensified as it headed into the New England coastal waters and the Gulf of Maine, strong northwest winds enveloped Delaware during the late afternoon and the evening of the 14th. Peak wind gusts averaged between 40 and 50 mph and hampered power restoration efforts in New Castle County. Peak wind gusts included 49 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 44 mph in Sandtown (Kent County) and 38 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County).

An area of low pressure tracked across southeastern Canada during the 12th, which brought an arctic front across the Mid Atlantic region late on the 12th. As this occurred, a strong area of high pressure located across central Canada built down into the Northeast, allowing very cold air to spill southward ultimately leading to what is known as cold air damming. This occurs east of the mountains down through the Mid Atlantic states. Meanwhile, a Pacific storm slammed onto the California coast during the 11th and as it moved eastward, a new area of low pressure developed across southeastern Colorado and the Texas Panhandle. This storm became impressive as it moved into the Ohio Valley during the 13th. However as additional energy moved into the eastern part of the country, a new area of low pressure developed near the North Carolina coast late on the 13th. This allowed mainly light snow to overspread the region from south to north during the early morning hours of the 13th. As the secondary area of low pressure became more organized to our south, moisture began to fill in across North Carolina and Virginia and this moved northward. The arctic front that slipped through the state on the 12th was positioned across the southern Delmarva and this began a northward jog during the night of the 13th and the morning of the 14th. The intensifying area of low pressure tracked very near southern Delaware and then slid close to the New Jersey Shore during the morning of the 14th. This system continued to intensify as it moved into New England during the afternoon and evening of the 14th. The upper-level system then passed overhead during the evening of the 14th, with the entire system pretty much a memory by late in the evening of the 14th. The precipitation came to an end across the state between 7 PM and 9:30 PM EST.|Snow began from south to north between 6 AM EST and 7 AM EST on the 13th. There was a lull in the precipitation during the evening hours of the 13th, however the precipitation became widespread overnight and during the early morning hours of the 14th. As some warmer air began to move in above the surface, the snow mixed with and changed to sleet and freezing rain between 9 AM and 12 PM EST in Kent and Sussex Counties, but not until 5 PM EST in New Castle County. The mixed precipitation changed to plain rain during the evening hours of the 13th across most of Kent and Sussex Counties, and sleet and freezing rain continued across New Castle County. This caused a fair amount of icing across New Castle County with lesser amounts across Kent and Sussex Counties. However, slippery roads still occurred across most of Sussex and Kent Counties due to the earlier snow and then some freezing rain and sleet that added a glaze. |In New Castle County a Red Cross shelter was set up at the Read Middle School on the 14th for those who had no heat. State offices in the county were closed on the 14th because of the icy conditions and power outages. Gusty winds and ice combined to be the primary factor for most of the power interruptions, according to the electrical officials. The ice produced significant damage to trees and telephone poles. In Meadowbrook Farms South, the ice destroyed a resident���s pear trees to the point where they were unsalvageable. A tractor-trailer overturned on Delaware 1 North near Boyds Corner around 7 AM on the 14th, closing the highway until 2:45 PM on the 14th. The snow and ice caused problems into the 16th as well with 15 reports of vehicles sustaining damage as a result of snow and ice flying off of cars and trucks. Overall, 77,724 customers lost power throughout the county during the storm at one point, with most outages occurring across the northern portion of the county. Slippery conditions on the 14th caused a DART bus to collide with a tractor-trailer on U.S. 13 north of Wilmington that sent four people to Christiana Hospital. All were treated and released.|A 48-year old homeless woman died during the early morning hours of the 14th. She had been living in a makeshift tent near a New Castle County Wal-Mart store. It was unsure if her death was directly related to the inclement weather, however foul played was ruled out.|In Kent County, State police reported 68 vehicle accidents due to slippery conditions between 3 PM and 8 PM on the 13th. At 2 PM on the 13th, the state Department of Transportation closed the Smyrna Rest Area due to a power outage. As a result, the rest area did not have electricity, heat or water. In Sussex County, state police reported 72 vehicle accidents due to slippery conditions between 3 PM and 8 PM on the 13th.|Some snow/sleet accumulations included 3.1 inches at the New Castle County Airport in Wilmington (New Castle County), 2.1 inches in Hockessin (New Castle County), 1.0 inch in Dover (Kent County), and about an inch in parts of Sussex County. Ice accumulations reached a quarter of an inch in New Castle County.

Strong northwest to west winds occurred during the daytime hours on January 20th across Delaware. It was caused by an intense pressure gradient (large difference in surface pressure over a relatively small area) between a powerful low pressure system (960 millibars at 7 a.m. EST on the 20th) moving through the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system building east from the Midwest. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph and included 50 mph in Lewes (Sussex County) and 45 mph at the New Castle County Airport.

Strong northwest winds circulating around a large high pressure system in the middle of the United States downed a couple of weak trees and tree limbs in New Castle County and caused isolated power outages. The power outages affected the Christiana Mall and the Brookside area of Newark for several hours. The peak wind gust at the New Castle County Airport was 41 mph.

A southerly flow preceding and a westerly flow behind a powerful cold front produced strong winds during the afternoon and evening of the 1st across Delaware. Peak wind gusts averaged 45 to 50 mph. They were from the south preceding the front during the afternoon and from the west behind the front during the evening. Weak trees, tree limbs and power lines were knocked down and caused widely scattered outages, especially in New Castle County. Actual measured peak wind gusts included 51 mph in Bear (New Castle County), 49 mph at the New Castle County Airport and 47 mph in Dover (Kent County).

Cold air streaming in behind a powerful cold front produced strong gusty west to northwest winds during the afternoon of the 20th in Delaware. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph inland and 50 to 55 mph along the coast and included 54 mph in Cape Henlopen (Sussex County), 46 mph in Dover (Kent County) and 45 mph at the New Castle County Airport.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down several trees and wires in and around Wilmington. About 3,000 Delmarva Power customers lost electrical service.

Showers and thunderstorms, some with heavy rain caused urban, smaller creek and poor drainage flooding in New Castle County on the morning of the 5th and led to flooding on the Christina River during that afternoon. Storm totals averaged close to two inches, most of which fell in a six hour period from the morning into the early afternoon of the 5th. The second shot of heavy rain already this month was too much for some waterlogged trees that fell down in spite of very little wind. About a dozen small power outages were related to the downed trees. A commuter bus became stuck in flood waters in Wilmington on Governor Printz Boulevard. Actual storm totals included 1.82 inches at New Castle County Airport. The Christina River at Coochs Bridge was above its 10.5 foot flood stage from 111 p.m. through 516 p.m. EDT on the 5th. It crested at 11.06 feet at 300 p.m. EDT.

The combination of the remnants of Tropical Storm Ernnesto and a large high pressure system over eastern Canada produced heavy rain and flooding, strong and in some cases damaging winds, tidal flooding and beach erosion in Delaware. Sussex County was hit the hardest with both the flooding (tidal and inland) and high winds. Downed trees damaged homes, vehicles and churches. Delmarva Electric reported that 151,000 of its customers along the peninsula lost power (including Delaware). All power was restored in Delaware by the night of the 4th. About 17,500 Delaware Electric Cooperative customers also lost power in Kent and Sussex Counties. About 2,000 Verizon customers lost phone service through the 8th. The Delaware Bay Buoy set an all-time record high wave height for September, 22.3 feet. Ten to twelve foot waves were crashing along the shore line and enhanced rip currents and rough surf persisted through the 5th. There were even five foot waves in Rehoboth Bay. Many Labor Day Weekend (storm hit hardest on Friday the 1st) activities were cancelled or postponed. Revenue was lost from people cancelling vacation plans. Rain moved into the state just before sunrise on the 1st and ended from south to north during the first half of the day on the 2nd. The heaviest rain fell during the afternoon of the 1st in Sussex County, before sunrise on the 2nd in Kent County and during the morning of the 2nd in New Castle County. Storm totals averaged two to five inches with the highest amounts in Sussex County. The heavy rain produced poor drainage flooding as well as some stream and creek flooding in Sussex County. In addition to the heavy rain, persistent and strong east to northeast winds caused tree damage as the heavy rain loosened the root support and weighed down limbs. The strongest winds occurred from the late afternoon on the 1st through the early morning on the 2nd. Sussex County took the brunt of the wind and water damage from the storm including the ocean and bayshore communities. About 40,000 homes and businesses lost power. There were about 275 weather related responses by emergency personnel. About ten roads were closed because of flooding or wind damage. Many beaches were closed on the 1st and 2nd. Ones that were opened on the 3rd limited how far people could go. In Lewes, the dock and exterior landing, stairway and hand rails at the Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse suffered damage. About 75 feet of beach front was lost. In Cape Henlopen State Park, the dune fencing was damaged. In Rehoboth, about 100 feet of beach was lost as waves reached 12 feet. A large tree damaged one home, another fallen tree destroyed a sidewalk. Sections of the dunes were destroyed. Storage sheds along the beach were destroyed. A few roads were flooded at high tide. In Dewey Beach, many roads were flooded on the Rehoboth Bay side during the evening high tide on the first. The high winds caused roof, gutter and downspout damage to homes. In Bethany Beach, nearly all of the beach was swept away. Erosion reached up to the first row of homes. In South Bethany, shingles and siding was ripped from homes. Homes that did not raise their steps at the shore saw them swept away. In Fenwick Island, a fifty-five foot dead fin whale was unearthed. Nine dead loggerhead sea turtles washed ashore along the Delaware Coast. Inland in Sussex County, the combination of run-off and high tides caused flooding along both the Broadkill Creek (downtown Milton) and the Mispillion River in Milford (Park Avenue and South Walnut Street. Golf courses near the coast suffered heavy tree damage. Many cornfields suffered snapped crops from Georgetown to the coast. Two-hundred-year-old trees were knocked down on Sussex County Route 48. In the Long Neck and Oak Orchard area, bay flooding caused street flooding and the evacuation of six homes. In Kent County, many trees were knocked down especially in and around Dover and Smyrna. One home was damaged by a downed tree. Along Delaware Bay, a Sports Utility Vehicle was struck by large waves at Woodland Beach. New Castle County missed the brunt of the remnants. No gaged streams or rivers flooded. One person was rescued from a flooded roadway. About 11,000 homes and businesses in the county lost power and they were all restored by sunrise on the 3rd. Actual storm totals included 5.15 inches in Jones Crossing Sussex County), 4.50 inches in Milford and Long Neck (Sussex County), 4.51 inches in Georgetown (Sussex County), 4.06 inches in Bethany Beach (Sussex County), 3.90 inches in Woodside (Kent County), 2.90 inches in Wilmington (New Castle County), 2.77 inches at Dover AFB, 2.31 inches in Newark (New Castle County) and 1.91 inches at the New Castle County Airport. Peak wind gusts included 62 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 61 mph in Dover (Kent County) and 47 mph at the New Castle County Airport. In Delaware Bay, the tide at Reedy Island reached 7.71 feet above mean lower low water on the morning of the 2nd. Minor tidal flooding starts at 7.2 feet above mean lower low water. The low pressure system that was Ernesto moved slowly north from around Petersburg, Virginia at 5 p.m. EDT on the 1st, to near Fredericksburg, Virginia at 11 p.m. EDT on the 1st, passed close to Washington D.C. at 5 a.m. EDT on the 2nd, near Hagerstown, Maryland at 8 a.m. EDT on the 2nd,near Altoona, Pennsylvania at 2 p.m. EDT on the 2nd and accelerated northward and was just southeast of Buffalo, New York at 2 a.m. EDT on the 3rd. Of greater importance, was a strong high pressure system (greater than 1032 millibars) that remained over southeastern Canada and maintained the pressure gradient (difference) between it and the remnant low of Ernesto.

A funnel cloud was sighted by dozens of people over Newark. Other funnel clouds were also sighted just west of and over the city of Wilmington and also over Bear. None of the funnel clouds touched down, but the parent thunderstorm did cause some wind damage in the city of Wilmington and in Brandywine Hundred. Downed large tree limbs and wires caused about 700 Delmarva Power customers to lose power in the county.

A strong area of high pressure anchored over the East Coast and the western Atlantic, resulted in a stretch of excessive heat for the entire region to start off August 2006. The very hot air mass was accompanied by humid conditions as the dew points surged into the upper 60s and lower 70s for a time. It could have been worse, but the dew points lowered a little bit for most areas during the afternoon hours as the sunshine dried the air mass out for a time. High temperatures topped out at 96 degrees on August 3rd at the New Castle County Airport near Wilmington. In Georgetown, the mercury climbed to the century mark on August 3rd, which set a new record for that date. The beaches did not escape the true aspect of the heat as Bethany Beach topped out at a sultry 103 degrees on August 3rd. The combination of temperatures well into the 90s and moderate to high humidity pushed heat indices into the 105 to 110 degree range across the state.Delmarva Power set a new record for electricity usage, of 4,228 megawatts at 5 PM EDT on August 2nd, which was 54 megawatts higher than the previous record set back in July 2005. Delmarva Power used an estimated 4,243 megawatts of power per hour at the peak on August 3rd (between 4 PM EDT and 5 PM EDT).The heat and humidity took its toll on two Dover, Delaware area men, who were in their mid 50s. They died on August 2nd due to the excessive heat. They were both outside when they died, and at least one of the men had some pre-existing health conditions. At least four people were treated for heat stroke in Wilmington, Delaware on August 1st. In Delaware City (New Castle County), the extreme heat contributed to the collapse of a refinery worker. Also on August 1st, Police in Wilmington rescued a child who locked himself in a car with the windows rolled up.

A severe thunderstorm knocked over trees and pulled down power lines in Greenville (Christiana Hundred).

A severe thunderstorm tore down several trees and power lines in Middletown and Odessa.

A severe thunderstorm knocked over several large trees, tree limbs and wires in eastern New Castle County from Brandywine Hundred south through the area around the New Castle County Airport in New Castle Hundred and into Odessa. The roof of a building occupied by Fusco Enterprises was peeled away by the damaging winds. Downed trees on U.S. Route 202 also took down power lines and caused outages. A measured wind gust of 57 mph was recorded at the New Castle County Airport.

Severe thunderstorms rolled across parts of New Castle County, Delaware between 8:29 PM EDT and 8:50 PM EDT on June 1st. Strong winds associated with the thunderstorms downed trees and power lines from Glasgow to Deleware City, with an estimated $6,000 in damages.

A fast moving storm, producing cloud to ground lightning, during the evening on the 3rd knocked out power to about 1,200 Delmarva customers in the Middletown and Mount Pleasant areas.

A major winter storm affected the northeastern United States, including the northern mid Atlantic region, during Saturday February 11th and Sunday February 12th. An area of low pressure developed along the Gulf Coast states on Friday February 10th, and began moving to the northeast toward the North Carolina coast during February 11th. The system rapidly intensified as it moved near the New Jersey coast and then toward the New England coast. Rain developed across central and southern Delaware, around 11 AM EST on Saturday February 11th. Snow overspread the rest of the region around 11 AM EST on Saturday from south to north. The precipitation initially was relatively light with temperatures either at or above freezing. The snow increased in intensity from northeast Maryland, across northern Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania and most of New Jersey around Midnight EST on Sunday the 12th. In Delaware, the heaviest snow started around 8 AM EST (on the 12th) from west to east. Even areas that saw rain to start, changed to snow during the mid to late morning hours on Sunday the 12th. The snow gradually ended from southwest to northeast around Noon EST on the 12th. During this strengthening storm, New Castle County experienced intense snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour. These intense snowfall rates mainly occurred during Sunday morning the 12th as the storm really intensified off the Delaware and southeast New Jersey Coasts. During the height of the storm Sunday morning the 12th, thunder and lightning occurred as the snow fell. The presence of this thundersnow just goes to show how energetic this storm became. Also, winds gusted to around 40 mph across the inland areas, with even higher gusts along the coast. The gusty winds, coupled with the falling and accumulated snow, produced near whiteout conditions along with drifting snow across a good portion of the area. The storm moved away from the region Sunday afternoon, allowing the accumulating snow to come to an end. The winter storm caused several problems across the state. The combination of heavy snow and gusty winds during the height of the storm, produced extensive blowing and drifting particularly across the outlying areas. Some 17,589 customers lost power in New Castle County, with several towns losing power in Kent and Sussex Counties (from Harbeson to Georgetown and Bridgeville, to name a few towns) during the height of the storm, again which was due to a combination of heavy snow and gusty winds. Several accidents were reported across the entire state during the 11th and 12th, resulting in some injuries according to the State Police. During the evening of the 11th, Route 1 Northbound in Kent County (½ mile north of the Dover Toll Plaza) was shut down due to a vehicle accident. The Delaware Department of Transportation crews assisted in this accident clean-up. Also in Kent County on the night of the 11th, a vehicle went into a ditch at US Route 13 Southbound at Woodside. Due to the conditions worsening overnight (the 11th), the speed limit was reduced to 45 mph on 495 in New Castle County. During the 12th, the State Police received reports of traffic lights freezing over on Route 13 at 404, 40 and 404A in Sussex County. Also during the morning of the 12th, numerous transformers were blown out and wires were downed west of Route 13 from Smyrna to Wild Quail, along with power outages (all in Kent County), according to the State Police. Trash pick-up in Wilmington (New Castle County) was altered on the 13th and 14th due to the weekend winter storm.The amount of snow that accumulated varied greatly across the state from south to north. New Castle County took the brunt of the snowfall with 15.5 inches falling in Hockessin, 14.4 inches at the New Castle County Airport in Wilmington, and 14.0 inches in Newark. In Kent County the snowfall amounts varied from 10.5 inches in Little Creek, 8.8 inches in Dover, 7.0 inches at the Dover Air Force Base, 5.0 inches in Greenwood and just 0.5 inches in Bridgeville (both in Sussex County).

The major winter storm also produced strong winds across Delaware. As the winter storm strengthened off the New Jersey Coast during the morning of February 12th, the winds increased across a good portion of the area. Some peak wind gusts from around the state include, 56 mph at Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County), 44 mph at the New Castle County Airport near Wilmington, and 40 mph at Dover Air Force Base (Kent County). These winds, coupled with falling snow created near whiteout conditions in many places during the height of the storm, and also downed some tree limbs and power lines across parts of the state. Some 17,589 Delmarva Power customers lost power in New Castle County, with several towns losing power in Kent and Sussex Counties (from Harbeson to Georgetown and Bridgeville, to name a few towns).

Strong to high southeast winds during the early morning and strong west winds during the late morning and afternoon buffeted Delaware. Peak wind gusts averaged around 60 mph during the early morning in Kent and Sussex Counties and around 45 mph in the westerly flow during the late morning and afternoon. The high winds downed trees and power lines during the early morning in Kent and Sussex Counties. About 10,000 homes and businesses lost power with Camden (Kent County) hit the hardest. Schools in the Caesar Rodney District were closed because of power outages. Peak wind gusts included 50 mph in Dover (Kent County), 46 mph at the New Castle County Airport and 39 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County). The strong winds were caused by an increasing southeasterly low level jet preceding a cold front during the early morning of the 18th. This feature intensified further and caused more damage once it reached New Jersey. The cold front moved through Delaware between 7 a.m. EST and 10 a.m. EST on the 18th and strong west winds occurred behind the front from late in the morning through most of the afternoon before they diminished at night.

A slow moving and intense low pressure system combined with a high pressure ridge across the Mississippi Valley to produce a prolonged period of strong to high winds across Delaware from the late afternoon on the 14th through the late afternoon on the 15th. The strongest wind gusts occurred between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. EST on the 15th. The persistent strong winds combined with ground that was wet and not frozen caused more tree damage than normally would be the case. Downed trees and tree limbs consequently helped snap poles and caused scattered power outages. Specific wind gusts included 71 mph in Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County), 62 mph in Wilmington (New Castle County), 58 mph at the Dover Air Force Base (Kent County), 53 mph at the New Castle County Airport and 45 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County). The intense low pressure system that was responsible for the winds moved from the Delaware Valley during the early afternoon on the 14th, to the New Jersey Coast at 7 p.m. EST on the 14th, onto Long Island at 10 p.m. EST on the 14th, in the New England coastal waters east of Massachusetts at 7 a.m. EST on the 15th and into Nova Scotia by early in the afternoon on the 15th. As the low pressure system exited Nova Scotia and the high pressure system built east into the Ohio Valley, winds started diminishing during the late afternoon on the 15th.

Damaging winds occurred in New Castle County during Thanksgiving evening (the 24th) as cold air rushed into the region behind an arctic cold front. The wind gusted to 61 mph at the New Castle County Airport and knocked down several trees as well as numerous limbs and power lines. About 6,000 homes and businesses lost power. Power outages were concentrated in Hockessin, New Castle, Bear and Newark. Five poles were knocked down on U.S. Route 13 near the New Castle County Airport. Most of the power was restored by Midnight EST that night. Total power was not restored until Friday evening the 25th.

Severe thunderstorms tore down numerous tree limbs and power lines and several trees in New Castle County, particularly along the U.S. Route 40 corridor. About 17,600 homes and businesses lost power in the county. Power was not completely restored until the early morning of the 29th.

The most hottest and humid air mass of the summer so far occupied Delaware from the 25th through the 27th. This air mass had as its origin the desert southwest in the United States and a ridge of high pressure aloft brought this air mass east with it through the rest of the country. The hottest and most humid day was the 27th. This was the hottest day of the year so far for most places and the highest temperatures seen in many areas since August of 2002. The combination of high temperatures and humidity levels pushed afternoon heat indices to between 105 and 110 degrees on the 27th. In addition to the excessive heat, a code orange alert was in place because of high ozone levels. The PJM Interconnection recorded a world record for electricity usage on the 26th: 135,000 megawatts. The PJM coordinates the movement of electricity in Delaware and twelve other states from North Carolina to Illinois. On the 27th, PJM lowered voltage to certain customers by five percent due to the stress on the high voltage lines. Locally Delmarva Power and Light set a usage record of 3,950 megawatts on the 26th. The strain of the heat caused about 12,000 Delmarva Power and Light customers to lose power during the excessive heat spell. In Sussex County officials directed the public to libraries and administrative buildings to help beat the heat. Health officials saw an increase in chronic health problems such as asthma. One person at Rehoboth Beach was treated for heat exhaustion. A strong cold front that moved through the region during the early evening of the 27th brought an abrupt end to the hot spell. The highest temperatures included 98 degrees in Georgetown (Sussex County), 96 degrees at the New Castle County Airport and 95 degrees in Dover (Kent County).

Heavy rain associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy fell across Delaware during the first half of the day on the 8th. The rain itself started during the evening of the 7th and ended during the afternoon of the 8th. Storm totals averaged two to three inches but neared five inches toward the Maryland border. The heavy rain caused some field and roadway flooding, but did not fall in a concentrated burst. Thus no serious stream or river flooding was reported. The combination of the heavy rain and northeast winds gusting around 20 to 30 mph knocked down a few weak trees and caused about 100 homes to lose power in New Castle County. Specific storm totals included 4.55 inches in Delmar (Sussex County), 2.95 inches in Dover (Kent County), 2.50 inches in Lewes (Sussex County), 2.40 inches in Blackbird (New Castle County), 2.08 inches in Redden (Sussex County), 2.04 inches in Georgetown (Sussex County) and 1.76 inches at the New Castle County Airport. The remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy moved from near Atlanta, Georgia at 8 a.m. EDT on the 7th northeast to near Washington, D.C. at 8 a.m. EDT on the 8th, lower Delaware at 2 p.m. EDT on the 8th and about 100 miles east of Atlantic City at 8 p.m. EDT on the 8th.

Lightning strikes caused about 6,000 homes and businesses to lose power in southern New Castle County, mainly in and around Middletown. The bulk of the outages was caused when lightning struck a pole near a substation in Middletown. All power was restored by 7 p.m. EDT that evening.

A line of severe thunderstorms caused wind damage across the northern half of New Castle County. Several trees and wires were knocked down with the greatest concentration of wind and lightning damage in Hockessin (Mill Creek Hundred) and Middletown. About 2,800 homes and businesses lost power in the county. All power was restored by 1 p.m. EDT on the 7th. In Hockessin, downed trees were removed from three roadways and one home suffered minor damage when a tree fell onto it.

Strong southeast winds affected Delaware on the afternoon of the 2nd as the strong low pressure system continued to intensify as it moved closer to the area. As the low pressure system moved into the area, the intensification process was weakening and the proximity to the low itself caused winds to become lighter. Peak wind gusts averaged 40 to 45 mph. The combination of the winds and heavy rain made it easy to knock down shallow rooted trees, especially in New Castle County. About 2,100 homes and businesses lost power in the state, mainly in New Castle County. Peak wind gusts included 44 mph in Georgetown and 40 mph at the New Castle County Airport.The strong winds were caused by a low pressure system that moved from the southern Gulf Coast States toward the region on the morning of the 2nd. At 7 a.m. EST on the 2nd, it was a 996 millibar low pressure system in central Virginia. From Virginia it continued to move northeast, intensified and was a 992 millibar low pressure system near Washington, D.C. at 1 p.m. EST on the 2nd, a 987 millibar low pressure system near Lancaster, Pennsylvania at 7 p.m. EST on the 2nd and a 984 millibar low pressure system near Scranton, Pennsylvania at 1 a.m. EST on the 3rd.

The combination of heavy rain and saturated soil from recent heavy rain caused poor drainage flooding and flooding along several creeks and rivers in New Castle County. Rain began falling during the late evening on the 27th, but fell at its heaviest during the afternoon and evening of the 28th as thunderstorms occurred. The rain ended during that evening. Storm totals averaged around two inches. Several roads were closed. School buses were moved to higher ground before flooding on the White Clay Creek began near Newark. The combination of the heavy rain and traffic accidents caused about 7,000 homes and businesses to lose power in New Castle County.The Christina River at Coochs Bridge was above its 10.5 foot flood stage from 245 p.m. EST through 1036 p.m. EST on the 28th. It crested at 11.92 feet at 532 p.m. EST. The White Clay Creek at Newark was above its 13 foot flood stage from 529 p.m. through 1101 p.m. EST on the 28th. It crested at 14.26 feet at 815 p.m. EST. The Red Clay Creek at Wooddale was above its 7 foot flood stage from 5 p.m. EST through 1104 p.m. EST on the 28th. It crested at 8.37 feet at 830 p.m. EST. Farther downstream, the Red Clay Creek at Stanton was above its 15 foot flood stage from 439 p.m. EST on the 28th through 112 a.m. EST on the 29th. It crested at 17.49 feet at 945 p.m. EST.Storm totals included 2.43 inches in Bear, 2.40 inches in Newark, 2.33 inches in Wilmington, 2.27 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 2.20 inches in Cherry Island and 1.60 inches at Blackbird Hundred. The heavy rain was caused by a low pressure system that formed along the Gulf Coast States. This low pressure system was captured by its support aloft and thus moved only slowly northeast as it tapped abundant moisture from both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. The low pressure system moved from western Alabama at 7 a.m. EST on the 27th northeast to eastern Tennessee at 7 p.m. EST on the 27th and eastern Kentucky at 7 a.m. EST on the 28th. A secondary low pressure system formed over North Carolina during the morning of the 28th. It would become the main low pressure system as it moved northeast to near Norfolk, Virginia at 1 p.m. EST on the 28th, Chesapeake Bay at 7 p.m. EST on the 28th, Delaware Bay at 1 a.m. EST on the 29th and about 100 miles east of Atlantic City at 7 a.m. EST on the 29th.

In addition to the snow, strong gusty northwest winds developed during the afternoon and evening of the 8th as a low pressure system intensified off the Middle Atlantic and New England States. The strong winds caused isolated power outages throughout Delaware. Peak wind gusts included 56 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 53 mph in Dover (Kent County), 52 mph at the New Castle County Airport and 41 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County). The strong winds were caused by a rapidly intensifying low pressure system that developed on the cold front during the morning of the 8th. The low moved northeast and was an already intense 986 mb near Danville, Virginia at 7 a.m. EST on the 8th. From there it continued to move northeast and deepened to a 978 mb low just east of Long Beach Island, New Jersey at 1 p.m. EST on the 8th, to a 970 mb low over Nantucket Island, Massachusetts at 7 p.m. EST on the 8th to a 964 mb low just southwest of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia at 1 a.m. EST on the 9th.

A very potent Alberta low pressure system dropped heavy snow in New Castle and Kent Counties and a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain in Sussex County. Snow began falling throughout the state during the late morning of the 22nd. In Sussex County, the snow changed to freezing rain inland and rain at the coast during the afternoon. Precipitation then changed back to snow before it ended during the evening. Farther north, the heaviest snow fell during the afternoon, but lighter (and still accumulating) snow fell into the morning of the 23rd. Accumulations ranged from around 1 inch along coastal Sussex County to nearly 10 inches in northern New Castle County. Around 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice accrued on exposed surfaces in interior Sussex County and caused power outages as tree limbs and power lines came down. Gusty northwest winds which followed in the wake of the storm caused considerable drifting snow and hampered road crews efforts as drifts continued to form on roads through the night of the 23rd. More than 160 accidents occurred across the state on the 22nd, many during the first hour of snowfall. In New Castle County, about 40 motorists became stranded on the 22nd. The only reported fatal accident occurred in Sussex County (near Milton) on the morning of the 23rd when a 48-year-old man died after the car he was driving slid on a patch of ice and overturned. Delaware Emergency Management and local police recommended that only essential personnel travel. Most businesses closed early on the 22nd in New Castle County. Even New Castle County Airport closed early. Many sporting, community events and church services were cancelled. Many businesses never opened on Sunday the 23rd. The icy roads and strong winds hampered firefighters fighting a blaze in Bethany Beach. One firefighter was injured after slipping on the ice. Another fire destroyed a shed in Dagsboro as a wood stove was placed too close to combustibles. About 1,700 homes and businesses in Sussex County lost power because of downed tree limbs and wires. On the 24th, the Delaware Department of Transportation recommended businesses, schools and government offices consider opening late or not at all. Many schools were closed on the 24th. In Sussex County, many schools were also closed on the 25th as roads remained icy from the freezing rain. Specific snowfall accumulations 9.5 inches in Hockessin (New Castle County), 9.0 inches in Middletown (New Castle County), 8.4 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 8.3 inches in Newark (New Castle County), 7.0 inches in Woodside (Kent County), 6.8 inches in Dover (Kent County), 5.0 inches in Milford (Kent County), 4.0 inches in Greenwood (Sussex County), 3.0 inches in Georgetown (Sussex County) and 2.0 inches in Bethany Beach (Sussex County). The winter storm was caused by a very powerful Alberta low pressure system. This type of low rarely produce snowfalls of this intensity. This low moved southeast from eastern Montana on the morning of the 21st to southern Minnesota on the evening of the 21st to near Dayton, Ohio around sunrise on the 22nd. It then moved to just south of Erie, Pennsylvania on the afternoon of the 22nd. A secondary low pressure system was forming over the lower Chesapeake Bay on the afternoon of the 22nd. It would become the main low over the next twelve hours as it moved northeast over the Atlantic Ocean. It deepened quickly as it passed near the Nantucket, Massachusetts buoy at 7 a.m. EST on the 23rd.

A strong cold front moved through the state during the late afternoon and early evening of the 19th. Precipitation started as rain, but changed over to light snow as colder air moved into the state during the early evening. Light snow fell throughout the night, especially in Sussex County. Snowfall accumulations were less than an inch, but temperatures fell quickly below freezing and caused untreated roads to become quite slippery. The increasing winds also blew snow across the roadways. By 8 p.m. EST on the 19th, there were already ten weather related accidents in New Castle County. Minor vehicle accidents were reported through the morning rush on the 20th in Kent and Sussex Counties. Most southern Delaware schools had two hour delayed openings on the 20th and a couple of Sussex County schools were closed. About 2,600 homes and businesses lost power in Sussex County after a vehicle struck a utility pole west of Seaford.

The combination of a rapidly intensifying low pressure system and a strong cold frontal passage produced peak wind gusts of around 50 mph across Delaware during the second half of the morning and throughout most of the afternoon. Winds increased from the southwest preceding the cold front after 9 a.m. EST, but reached their peak speeds from the time of the cold frontal passage (between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. EST) into the first half of the afternoon. A 62-year-old woman was killed by a fallen tree in Sussex County. Numerous weaker trees and limbs and subsequently power lines were knocked down. The wind strew garbage and recycling pails around. The wind damage was exacerbated by the recent wet weather which made the ground soft and the prolonged duration of the stronger winds. Police reported 72 weather related calls for assistance.In Sussex County, in Indian River Hundred, along Delaware State Route 24, a 62-year-old woman passenger was killed and the 45-year-old driver was critically injured when a pine tree snapped, fell on their vehicle. The car then ran off the road and struck another tree. The driver suffered a broken neck and head injuries. The pine tree had a 42 inch circumference and snapped two feet above the ground. This was one of at least three accidents caused by fallen trees in the state. The other two reported accidents occurred in Brandywine Hundred (New Castle County). A 75-foot pine tree toppled and hit two vehicles at an intersection. Elsewhere in the hundred, another tree split and fell on a vehicle. It trapped the driver for about an hour. In both instances, no injuries were reported. The winds overturned eleven unmanned vessels in the Delaware River that were being used for the oil spill clean-up. A barge was also overturned near Wilmington. The three people on board were rescued. A tree fell on a house in Smyrna (Kent County) and the metal roof of a mobile home in Bridgeville (Sussex County) was sheared away. Conectiv Energy reported about 14,000 of its customers lost power in the state, mainly in New Castle County. Peak wind gusts (from the west) included 53 mph at the New Castle County Airport and in Salisbury (Wicomico County, Maryland), 49 mph in Dover (Kent County), 48 mph in Delaware City (New Castle County) and 44 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County). In Delaware Bay, a wind gust to 59 mph was recorded at the Brandywine Shoal Light. The winds were caused by the surface pressure difference (gradient) between a high pressure system building northeast from the Gulf Coast States and an intensifying low pressure system that moved northeast through the Saint Lawrence Valley on the 1st. The strongest winds aloft occurred during the daytime hours and this coincided with the maximum daytime heating. The turbulent mixing that normally occurs when these two conditions coincide, efficiently mixed the stronger winds to the ground.

A severe thunderstorm tore down trees, tree limbs and power lines in New Castle County with most of the reported wind damage centered in and around Middletown. One downed tree took with it a 34,500 volt circuit. About 2,000 homes and businesses lost power.

Several lightning strikes caused about 2,900 homes and businesses in Elsmere to lose power.

A severe thunderstorm tore down trees and power lines in the northern part of the county, mainly in Mill Creek, Christina and Brandywine Hundreds. About 3,500 homes and businesses lost power with most of the outages in Hockessin (Mill Creek Hundred) and Newark.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down several trees, numerous tree limbs and wires mainly in the southern half of New Castle County. A downed tree damaged a fire truck in Wilmington. About 11,000 homes and businesses lost power.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down a couple of trees and wires in Christina and White Clay Hundreds. About 700 homes lost power.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down several trees, tree limbs and wires in the central portion of New Castle County. Wires were knocked down on U.S. Route 40 and Delaware State Route 896 in Glasgow. Trees and wires were also knocked down in Bear and Townsend. About 6,700 homes and businesses lost power in New Castle County; 5,500 of the outages were in Bear. Lightning also caused its own problems as one house that was struck by lightning developed an attic fire and three or four poles were struck by lightning in Townsend and Delaware City.

A line of severe thunderstorms knocked down tree limbs, a couple of trees and wires in northern New Castle County. The damage was concentrated around the Edgemoor area of Brandywine Hundred. About 5,000 homes and businesses lost power.

Gusty northwest winds around an intensifying low pressure system produced wind gusts to around 50 mph during the afternoon of the 29th in Delaware. Peak wind gusts included 52 mph in Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County) and 46 mph at the New Castle County Airport. The strong winds were caused by the difference in surface pressure between a powerful (about 975 millibars) low pressure system moving through the Saint Lawrence River Valley and a high pressure system building northeast from the Gulf Coast States.

The combination of a rapidly deepening low pressure system moving through the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system building in from the Plains States produced high winds across Delaware. The strongest winds occurred during two time periods: in the morning shortly after the low pressure system's cold frontal passage and during the afternoon. The peak wind gusts of the event mainly occurred during the afternoon. Numerous trees, tree limbs, transformers and wires were knocked down and damaged homes and vehicles. Scattered transformer fires occurred. In some instances poles were snapped. Numerous roads were closed including Interstate 295 and Delaware State Route 10. The afternoon and evening commute was difficult because of many closed roads. Emergency personnel had the added problem with road closures because the high winds were blowing away the plastic and wood road barriers. Shingles, chimney covers, gutters and siding were ripped from houses and fences were damaged by downed limbs and trees. Vehicles were damaged by fallen trees and/or flying debris. Awnings were torn away, store windows damaged, roadway business signs were knocked down as were overhead traffic signs and traffic signals. Trash and recycling cans were tossed in the middle of roads. Some schools had early dismissal because of the lost power and many scholastic games were cancelled. The high winds made it very difficult to fight fires and led to blow out tides at times of low tide during the evening of the 13th and also on the 14th. Conectiv Energy reported about 46,600 of its customers lost power in its Delaware service area. All power was restored by 6 p.m. on the 15th. The high winds caused the suspension of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry service during the afternoon and evening of the 13th. Service resumed the next day. In New Castle County, downed transmission lines forced the closure of Interstate 295 in both directions for two hours during the afternoon of the 13th. It caused major traffic backups on Interstate 95, U.S. Route 13 and Delaware State Route 9. In Newport, a 200 foot tall oak tree penetrated into the first floor of a home. Its roots flipped their neighbor's shed into the air. A man had his middle finger severed and ring finger nearly severed after the wind smashed a door close on him. The blow out tides left an oil refinery near Delaware City without enough cooling water late on the 13th and the 14th. This subsequently damaged the crude refining unit and caused sporadic pollution releases. The blow out tides left cooling water supplies nine to twelve feet below normal. Some pumps shut down and production was cut back and damaged the crude unit where oil was first processed. The crude unit also developed a leak. On the morning of the 14th, the accumulative effect of two days of strong to high winds resulted in the evacuation of 5,000 people from three office buildings in downtown Wilmington. Bolts on the facade of The Bank One building loosened on the 7th, 8th and 9th floors. The facade was designed to shift with the wind, but apparently shifted more than normal. The bolts that anchor the facade to the inner structure loosened. Cracks in the drywall were seen on the interior of the building. The building was evacuated as was a second Bank One building and the New Castle County Courthouse which was across the street from the side of that facade. An eight block area including Walnut and 4th Streets were closed. After the building was inspected, it was reopened at 415 p.m. that afternoon. In Kent County, a tractor-trailer overturned on Delaware State Route 1 while crossing the Saint Jones River. A Cessna flipped at Dover Air Force Base. An overhead sign on U.S. Route 113 in Dover blew down and struck a vehicle. The driver was uninjured. In Sussex County, light poles were snapped in Georgetown and about 2,000 homes and businesses lost power. Peak wind gusts included 70 mph at the Pilot Tower (Sussex County), 68 mph at Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County), 59 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 56 mph at the Dover Air Force Base, 52 mph in Lewes (Sussex County) and Bear (New Castle County) and 50 mph at the Georgetown/Sussex County Airport (50 mph). The high winds were caused by the pressure difference between the low pressure system in the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system in the Central Plains. The low intensified from a 1004 millibar system over Lake Superior the morning of the 12th, to a 982 millibar low near Montreal the morning of the 13th to a 970 millibar low in the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River the morning of the 14th. Some strong wind gusts also occurred on the 14th and hampered power restoration work. Winds diminished for good during the evening of the 14th.

Tropical Storm Isabel caused tidal flooding up Delaware Bay, heavy rain and strong power outage producing winds. Isabel made landfall as a hurricane near Drum Inlet, North Carolina around 100 p.m. EDT on the 18th and weakened as it tracked farther inland. At one time in its life cycle, it was a powerful Category 5 hurricane when it was north of the Leewood Islands. Isabel's track took it west of Chesapeake Bay and was able to funnel water into the bay. This caused flooding along coastal areas all the way into New Castle County. Rivers and streams in New Castle County flooded from two fronts: from the heavy rain inland and also from the storm surge. The tide at Reedy Point reached 8.66 feet above mean lower low water at 506 a.m. EDT on the 19th. The surge was about 5 feet. The surge funneled up the bay and was lower and occurred earlier close to the coast. The highest tide at Lewes (Sussex County) was 6.51 feet above mean lower low water at 324 p.m. EDT on the 18th. The heavy rain did not coincide with the tidal flooding and occurred mainly from the afternoon of the 18th into the early morning of the 19th. Nevertheless, runoff from streams in New Castle County were slowed because of the incoming storm surge. While tides barely reached minor tidal levels along the ocean, the wave action on top of the tide caused beach erosion. Dunes were breached on the ocean front south of South Bethany and water overwashed onto Delaware State Route 1 in several locations. Winds gusted up to 70 mph and caused numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines to be knocked down. This was one of the worst power outage events in history for Conectiv Energy. The Christina River at Coochs Bridge (New Castle County) was above its 9 foot flood stage from 927 p.m. EDT on the 18th through 612 a.m. EDT on the 19th. It crested at 11.38 feet at 115 a.m. EDT on the 19th. The Red Clay Creek at Wooddale was above its 5.5 foot flood stage from 106 a.m. EDT through 728 a.m. EDT on the 19th. It crested at 5.87 feet at 430 a.m. EDT on the 19th. Peak wind gusts included 70 mph at the Pilot Tower (Sussex County), 62 mph in Lewes (Sussex County), 61 mph at the Dover Air Force Base (Kent County), 60 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County) and 53 mph at both Bear (New Castle County) and the New Castle County Airport. Storm totals included 1.88 inches in Greenwood (Sussex County), 1.74 inches in Georgetown (Sussex County), 1.46 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 1.35 inches in Milford (Kent County) and 1.00 at the Dover Air Force Base (Kent County).

A line of severe thunderstorms produced scattered pockets of wind damage across New Castle County and the northeast part of Kent County. Trees, tree limbs and power lines were knocked down. Conectiv Energy reported about 4,000 of its customers north of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal lost power. All power was restored by the morning of the 31st. South of the Canal into northern Kent County, an additional 2,000 Conectiv Energy customers lost power. Their power was restored that night.

The first run of excessive heat and humidity of the summer season occurred during the work week of June 23rd across most of Delaware. The highest temperatures and heat indices occurred on the 26th. This was a marked contrast from the unseasonably cool and wet June prior to this week. Temperatures and moisture levels eased after a cold front moved through the region during the day on the 27th. The excessive heat and stagnant air mass led the State Environment Official to declare a code red ozone alert. State officials recommended that persons avoid prolonged exposure outside and go to malls, stores or other public places. The heat caused scattered power outages, especially on the 26th. In Wilmington, about 75 elderly residents evacuated from a high rise apartment after the building's back-up generator failed. Four residents were treated for heat related symptoms. Hospitals in central and southern Delaware treated about 15 persons for heat exhaustion. Many worked outdoors. Highest temperatures included 98 degrees in Georgetown (Sussex County), 94 degrees in Milford (Kent/Sussex County), 93 degrees at the New Castle County Airport and Greenwood (Sussex County).

A slow moving low pressure system at both the surface and aloft helped trigger very heavy rain across New Castle County from the late morning into the afternoon 20th. Storm totals ranged from 1.5 inches south to 4.0 inches north, most of which fell during the afternoon. Without any thunder, New Castle County Airport received 1.10 inches of rain in one hour from 323 p.m. until 423 p.m. EDT. The heavy rain led to widespread poor drainage flooding as well as flooding of most of the gaged rivers and streams in the county. The Delaware Department of Traffic closed about sixteen main roads throughout the county. They ran short of high water signs. Southbound U.S. Route 13 near U.S. Route 40 was at a standstill through the evening commute. Throughout the county, cars were stranded in high water. Flooding forced the evacuation of three families from the Brack-Ex development after Conectiv cut off power. The water saturated soil plus the flooding caused trees to fall. About 14,000 Conectiv customers lost power. No serious injuries were reported. The Christina River at Coochs Bridge was above its 9 foot flood stage from 235 p.m. EDT on the 20th through 247 a.m. EDT on the 21st. It crested at 12.01 feet at 830 p.m. EDT on the 20th. The White Clay Creek at Newark was above its 13 foot flood stage from 413 p.m. EDT on the 20th through 455 a.m. EDT on the 21st. It crested at 14.97 feet at 815 p.m. EDT on the 20th. The Red Clay Creek at Wooddale was above its 5.5 foot flood stage from 400 p.m. EDT on the 20th through 441 a.m. EDT on the 21st. It crested at 9.98 feet at 745 p.m. EDT on the 20th. Farther downstream, the Red Clay Creek at Stanton was above its 15 foot flood stage from 415 p.m. EDT on the 20th through 504 a.m. EDT on the 21st. It crested at 18.46 feet at 1030 p.m. EDT on the 20th. The Brandywine Creek in Wilmington was above its 11 foot flood stage from 511 a.m. EDT through 207 p.m. EDT on the 21st. It crested at 11.81 feet at 2 p.m. EDT on the 21st. Storm totals included 3.59 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 3.30 inches in Newark and 2.63 inches in Bear. The low pressure system responsible for the heavy rain formed along a stationary front over the Carolinas during the morning of the 20th. It moved to just east of Wallops Island, Virginia during the evening of the 20th and well east of the Delmarva Peninsula during the morning of the 21st. An inverted trough at the surface that extended from the low north into Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Pennsylvania concentrated the heavy rain along its axis. June as a whole was an unseasonably wet month. On a county weighted average, June monthly precipitation totals averaged 9.5 inches in New Castle County. Normal is around 3.6 inches. The June monthly precipitation total of 9.90 inches at the New Castle County Airport was the wettest on record. The wet spring weather led to a whole different set of problems from the drought of the previous year. Planted seeds were drowning and rotting. Tobacco farmers were worrying about mold. Many soybean, corn and berry fields were too wet. There were also problems with slugs. Vegetables were generally about a month behind. Double crop fields fell behind schedule because of the slow growth of straw and hay. Garden shops sales have been down. Pool installations were about three to six weeks behind. Ant infestations increased. Windshield wipers were tearing. Many spring athletic seasons were extended because of postponed events. There will be a bumper crop of mosquitoes. Attendance along the shore and at amusement parks was down. Road work was delayed. The one few positives from the wet weather was lower utility bills.

Strong westerly winds circulating around a nearly stationary low pressure system over southwestern Ontario Province blew across Delaware during the afternoon of the 12th. The strong winds caused a few power outages. The wind pushed a transformer off a pole in Dover (Kent County) and halted electrical service for a dozen homes for two hours. A handful of Conectiv customers also briefly lost power in New Castle County. The peak wind gust at the New Castle County Airport was 41 mph. The low pressure system was slow to move northeast and peak wind gusts on the afternoon of the 13th were only slighter (about 5 mph) lower.

A large swath of moderate to heavy rain with embedded thunderstorms moved across the Delmarva Peninsula during the day on the 22nd. Rainfall totals averaged around two-thirds of an inch per hour during the thunderstorms and storm totals across New Castle County averaged between two and three inches. The combination of the heavy rain and melting snow produced widespread roadway flooding and ponding of water in poor drainage areas. Flooding also reached the first floor of several apartments and homes. It also led to flooding along the Christina River Basin. The weight of the snow and rain on area roofs led to a couple of building collapses. During the afternoon near New Castle, the roof of a beer distributor collapsed. The roof of a pipe and tubing distribution center also collapsed. A building in Wilmington was evacuated after a partial roof collapse. No serious injuries were reported. Major roadways were flooded in the county including Delaware State Routes 1 and 9. Roadway ponding reached as high as five feet north of Wilmington. The heavy rain led to about 1,600 Conectiv customers losing power. The Christina River at Coochs Bridge was above its 9 foot flood stage from 1236 p.m. EST on the 22nd through 906 a.m. EST on the 24th. It crested at 12.20 feet at 730 p.m. EST on the 22nd. The Christina River at Newark was above its 13 foot flood stage from 616 p.m. EST on the 22nd through 140 a.m. EST on the 23rd. It crested at 14.28 feet at 930 p.m. EST on the 22nd. Storm totals included 2.55 inches in Newark, 2.36 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 2.23 inches in Bear and 1.99 inches in Wilmington, The low pressure system responsible for the heavy rain developed along the Gulf Coast States on the 21st and moved northeast into the Tennessee Valley the morning of the 22nd and into Pennsylvania the morning of the 23rd. The strongest surge of warm, unstable air preceding its warm front occurred during the day on the 22nd. For the month of February, the precipitation total of 5.21 inches at the New Castle County Airport was the eighth wettest February on record.

The most powerful storm to affect Delaware since the Blizzard of 1996 struck during the President's Day Weekend. Snow spread from south to north during the pre-dawn on Sunday the 16th. The heaviest snow fell during the daylight hours of the 16th. Precipitation started mixing with and changing to sleet from south to north during the evening of the 16th. In Sussex County, precipitation changed to freezing rain during the second half of the evening and even changed to plain rain toward and along the coast around midnight EST. Similar precipitation types fell overnight. Precipitation changed back to all snow before it ended during the day on the 17th in New Castle County. It remained a mixed bag before it ended during the afternoon of the 17th in Kent County and changed back to a mixture of freezing rain, sleet and rain before it ended the same afternoon in Sussex County. Governor Ruth Ann Minner declared a state of emergency during the morning of the 16th. Only vehicles for emergency and snow clearing operations were permitted on the roadways. Bidding laws were suspended for snow purchases. Public transportation was halted and roads and bridges may be closed at any time. Abandoned vehicles were towed at the owner's expense. Unauthorized drivers were ticketed. Shelters were opened to house people affected by the coastal flooding. The National Guard sent in troops and donated Humvees to help clear the roads. The National Guard also assisted emergency personnel with transporting doctors and nurses to and from hospitals. Many malls and movie theaters either closed early or never opened on the 16th. Malls, businesses, universities, schools and shopping centers were closed on the 17th which was a federal holiday - President's Day. Businesses and universities started to reopen on the 18th. The State of Emergency was lifted at 6 a.m. EST on the 18th, except in the city of Wilmington. There was no public transportation or schools open on the 18th. Funerals and elective surgical procedures were cancelled. Organizers had to postpone scheduled events. Life returned closer to normal as the week continued. Numerous accidents occurred when the storm began on the 16th. After that, the timing of the storm (during the holiday weekend) kept the number of accidents and rescues down. The fluffy nature of the snow led to few power outages. Most were caused by vehicles crashing into utility poles. The worst damage from the storm was caused by the weight of the snow and sleet which caused numerous roof collapses. No serious injuries were reported. Moderate tidal flooding occurred and affected South Bethany (Sussex County), particularly residents on Ocean Drive the worst. Service on the Cape May/Lewes Ferry was suspended from the afternoon of the 16th through the morning of the 18th. In New Castle County on the 16th, there were fifty-three accidents and two hundred forty-four disabled vehicles through 1 p.m. EST. The roof of an apartment complex in New Castle collapsed. Public transportation was restored on the 19th. In Kent County, shelters were opened for low lying areas. Flights in and out of Dover Air force Base were cancelled through the 20th. Road crews had a hard time keeping secondary and tertiary roads clear with drifts that reached four feet. They started to make headway on the 18th. Hundreds of abandoned vehicles complicated the road clearing. Schools reopened on the 20th. Several major roof collapses occurred in and around Dover. An 80,000 square foot section of the Client Logic Warehouse's roof collapsed. A roof collapse at the Dover Skating Rink destroyed its lockers and bathrooms. At the Air Force Base, a storage facility's roof collapsed and damaged supplies that were destined for the Middle East and Europe. In Sussex County, road crews had similar problems keeping back roads opened prior to the 19th due to four foot drifts and hundreds of abandoned vehicles. Government offices were closed through the 18th and many schools were closed through the 19th. While wind gusts reached to around 50 mph during the height of the storm early on the 17th, less than thirty power outages were reported. Moderate tidal flooding occurred with the morning high tide on the 17th. In Rehoboth Beach, steps to the boardwalk were washed away and its boardwalk boards were loosened. In Dewey Beach, waves crested four dunes and spilt onto Delaware State Route 1. It was closed between Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach the morning of the 17th. South Bethany bore the brunt of the damage. Breaches in the dune line on the north side reached six feet wide. Ocean Drive was heavily damaged by tidal flooding. Debris, sand and water littered the road. All side streets leading from the ocean to Delaware State Route 1 were flooded. Oceanfront homes sustained damage from the waves. The National Guard assisted in the evacuation of twenty people from five homes. In Indian River Bay, minor tidal flooding prompted a recommended evacuation in Oak Orchard and Long Neck. Delaware State Route 24 in Pot Nets was flooded. Specific accumulations included 24.3 inches in Bear (New Castle County), 23.0 inches in Newark (New Castle County), 21.0 inches in Dover (Kent County), 20.0 inches in Harrington (Kent County), 19.5 inches in Wilmington (New Castle County), 13.0 inches in Milton (Sussex County) and Rehoboth Beach (Sussex County), 12 inches in Millsboro and Long Neck (Sussex County), 11 inches in Dewey Beach and Georgetown (Sussex County) and 8 inches in Bethany Beach (Sussex County). The peak wind gust at Lewes was 48 mph and in Georgetown was 44 mph. The morning high tide on the 17th at Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County) reached 7.70 feet above mean lower low water. The low pressure system which helped cause the heavy snow formed to the lee of the southern Rockies on the 14th. It moved to southern Missouri by the morning of the 15th, the lower Tennessee Valley the morning of the 16th, reformed off the Virginia coast the morning of the 17th and was southeast of Cape Cod on the 18th. Of equal or greater importance was a large high pressure system that moved over nearby Canada and northern New England throughout this event. This locked very cold air in place, slowed the low pressure system down and prevented it from going farther north thus leaving Delaware on the snowier side of the system. Warm air did move in aloft between 5,000 and 10,000 feet and was the reason the snow changed to sleet and freezing rain during the evening and overnight on the 16th.

The pressure difference between a strong high pressure system in the central part of the country and Tropical Storm Gustav located well east of the Delmarva Peninsula produced strong gusty northwest winds throughout the day on the 11th. The strongest gusts occurred during the early afternoon and averaged between 35 mph and 45 mph. The winds pulled down tree limbs and caused power outages to about 4,000 Conectiv Power Delivery customers. All power was restored by the evening of the 11th. Peak wind gusts included 44 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 41 mph in Dover (Kent County) and 31 mph in Georgetown (Sussex County).

A severe thunderstorm knocked down several trees and wires in and around Claymont in New Castle County. Some isolated trees and wires were also knocked down from Greenville to Newark. Conectiv Power Delivery reported about 20,000 of its New Castle County customers lost power for two hours.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down several trees and power lines north to south across western sections of New Castle County. Conectiv Energy reported about 5,000 of their customers lost power and took about 24 hours to fully restore power.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down a tree and several large limbs in Newark. About 250 Conectiv Power Delivery customers lost power in New Castle County.

A severe thunderstorm tore roofing material from a seven story apartment building in the Society Hills Apartment Complex in Brandywine Hundred. Thirty-eight apartment units (about 75 to 100 residents) were evacuated. The roofing material damaged vehicles in the parking lot. The pair of severe thunderstorms that affected New Castle County caused about 20,000 Conectiv Energy customers to lose power. All but 600 had their power restored by the afternoon of the 28th.

A severe thunderstorm tore down several trees and limbs in Hockessin. The pair of severe thunderstorms that affected New Castle County caused about 20,000 Conectiv Energy customers to lose power. All but 600 had their power restored by the afternoon of the 28th.

Damaging winds pulled down trees and power lines in Bellefonte.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down numerous wires in and around Middletown in southern New Castle County. The wires were torn down by fallen trees. About 1,200 Conectiv Energy customers lost power in New Castle County, the last 500 had power restored the afternoon of the 14th.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down numerous large limbs and a tree across northern Christina Hundred. About 1,200 Conectiv Energy customers lost power in New Castle County, the last 500 had power restored the afternoon of the 14th.

A severe thunderstorm tore down trees and power lines across the northern tier of New Castle County. Wind damage and power outages were reported in Newark, Pike Creek, Hockessin, Milltown and Brandywine. About 15,000 Conectiv customers lost power, all was restored by the 5th. About 350 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes occurred within a 30 minute period. The New Castle County Emergency Communications Center took a direct lightning hit and disrupted the communication lines for about 10 minutes.

A line of severe thunderstorms knocked down numerous trees across the northern half of New Castle County. The same storms were prolific lightning producers with 600 cloud-to-ground strikes in one hour in New Castle County. This exacerbated the problem of downed trees and lines. Conectiv Energy reported about 20,000 customers lost power in the Delmarva Peninsula because of the storms, most were in New Castle County. In Newark alone about 3,500 customers lost power. Power was completely restored the morning of the 12th. A lightning strike also ignited a farm house's roof in Hockessin. A 10-year-old boy became a hero because he knocked on the door of the residents. They did not realize their roof was on fire. No serious injuries were reported.

A ridge of high pressure both surface and aloft that was broiling the central part of the country moved east and covered the Delmarva Peninsula during the work week of August 6th. This brought the most oppressive hot spell since July of 1999 to the region and peaked on the 9th. While there were no heat related deaths, there was an increase in the normal number of patients with cardiac and respiratory problems. Social workers and charities checked on the elderly in Dover City. The "Are You OK?" program contacted senior citizens once a day throughout the county. Sussex County opened four heat shelters on the 8th and 9th. The hot weather put a strain on electrical usage. The PJM Interconnection (An independent organization that coordinates electric delivery for 22 million people in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey) set a usage record of 54,176 megawatts on the 9th. It was also forced to reduce voltage by 5 percent that day between 310 p.m. and 615 p.m. EDT to protect power reserves.Highest temperatures included 100 degrees in Bear (New Castle County), 99 at the New Castle County Airport, 97 degrees in Rehoboth Beach and 95 degrees in Georgetown and Dover. The 99 degree high temperature at the New Castle County Airport was the hottest day at the airport since July 19, 1999 when it reached 100 degrees. A cold front moved into the region the evening of the 10th and stalled throughout the weekend (the 11th and 12th). While it did not remove the humid air in place, the clouds and precipitation prevented temperatures from reaching into the 90s after the 10th.

A severe thunderstorm knocked a few trees and several power lines across northern New Castle County. Dime to nickel size hail also fell in Wilmington. About 15,000 homes and businesses lost power.

An unseasonably warm air mass and an intense low pressure system and cold front set the stage for an extremely windy day across Delaware on December 17th. Gusty southerly winds buffeted the region during the first half of the day. As the cold front passed through the region during the afternoon of the 17th, the strong southerly winds were replaced by equally strong westerly winds into the evening. Most of the peak wind gusts occurred during the morning and were between 40 and 45 mph. Downed limbs caused about 1,000 homes and businesses to lose power in New Castle County. A construction trailer was blown over in Midway in Sussex County. Peak wind gusts included 45 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 43 mph at the Georgetown (Sussex County) Airport and 39 mph at Dover Air Force Base. The high temperature of 62 degrees at the New Castle County Airport broke the daily high temperature record for the 17th.

A rapidly intensifying low pressure system and its associated cold front produced high winds across most of Delaware during the morning of the 12th. Peak wind gusts ranged between 50 and 60 mph and knocked down trees, tree limbs and power lines. Trash was blowing in the streets and Christmas trees at tree farms and nurseries were blown down. The strongest wind gusts were in the northern part of the state. About 8,000 homes and businesses lost power. One of the worst outages occurred in Hockessin after a tree fell on a substation. A downed pole in Dover nearly crushed several cars. A few roads were closed throughout the state because of downed trees and wires. Peak wind gusts included 53 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 44 mph at the Dover Air Force Base and 43 mph in Georgetown. The low pressure system intensified from a 1009 Mb central pressure in Missouri the morning of the 11th to a 984 Mb low near Burlington Vermont the morning of the 12th. The rapid drop of the low's central pressure of about 25 Mb within a 24 hour period is normally described as a meteorological bomb. This rapid intensification normally occurs over the western Atlantic Ocean, but when it does occur over land, could cause high winds and wind damage.

Lightning struck the detached garage of a home on Edgewood Drive in the Countryside Farms Development in Brandywine Hundred. The ensuing fire destroyed the garage and spread to and damaged the home. The three occupants escaped serious injury, but their Doberman Pinscher died in the garage. The frequent lightning caused about 3,000 homes and businesses to lose power in New Castle County.

Thunderstorms with frequent lightning caused power outages to about 5,500 homes and businesses in New Castle County. The outages were centered around Christina Hundred.

A strong cold front moved through Delaware during the early evening on the 8th. A strong secondary low formed on the frontal boundary overnight and by 8 a.m. EDT on the 9th was located near Worcester, Massachusetts. The intensifying low pressure system brought strong and gusty west to northwest winds into Delaware from the early morning of the 9th into the early evening the same day. It also ingested enough cold air to change the rain over to snow before it ended across the region during the morning of the 9th. The changeover was too brief and the precipitation too light for snow to accumulate across Kent and Sussex Counties. But in New Castle County, where the rain changed to snow by 4 a.m. EDT, accumulations averaged around 2 inches. Peak wind gusts averaged between 40 and 50 mph. The combination of the winds and the wet snow tore down tree limbs and caused some widely scattered outages, mainly in New Castle County. All power was restored by the middle of the afternoon on the 9th. Peak wind gusts included 48 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 38 mph in Dover and 36 mph in Georgetown. Snow accumulations included 2.5 inches in Newark, (New Castle County), 1.1 inches in Wilmington (New Castle County) and a Trace in Milford (Kent County).

The most intense winter storm since the Blizzard of 1996 buried Delaware on the 25th with 6 to 12 inches of snow, sleet and freezing rain, wind gusts as strong as 60 mph along the shore, minor to moderate coastal flooding and drifts as high as four feet. Schools and government offices were closed on the 25th. Police advised people to stay home. Many schools were still closed on the 26th. Many malls were either closed or closed early on the 25th. For the second time in a week Governor Tom Carper was forced to postpone his State of the State Address. About 75 accidents were reported; most were vehicles sliding off the roads. Several heart attacks from shoveling snow also occurred and there were dozens of "slip and fall" accidents as well as sledding accidents. About 61,000 homes and businesses lost power, hardest hit was Sussex County. The high winds forced the suspension of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. The worst driving conditions were in the western part of Kent County with drifts as high as 4 feet.The snow began with a vengeance between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. EST across the state. Snowfall rates of around 2 inches per hour were common during the first couple of hours during this storm. By 6 a.m. EST, some locations already had 4 inches of new snow on the ground. After 5 a.m. EST, as warmer air came in above the ground and the precipitation intensity slackened, the snow began mixing with and changing over to sleet and freezing rain. Delaware spent most of the daylight hours in the storm's "dry slot" - an area of lighter precipitation. Even so, Georgetown had about 7 inches of snow on the ground by 9 a.m. EST. As colder air moved back into the state after 3 p.m. EST, the wintry mix started to change to sleet and then snow by the early evening of the 25th. The change to snow coincided with another heavier band of precipitation that affected Delaware during the evening of the 25th. The snow ended around Midnight EST on the 26th. The heavy snow that fell during the predawn hours helped cut down on the number of accidents. About 75 accidents were reported. The worst (serious injuries) included a tractor trailer accident on Interstate 495 in New Castle County and a sport utility vehicle that rolled over three times in Kent County. Many of the secondary and back roads remained unplowed. The worst driving conditions were reported in western Kent County, where 30 to 40 mph wind gusts produced drifts to four feet. The heavy snow forced the curtailment of bus and train service in New Castle County. Fifteen people were stranded in Wilmington when their bus could not continue its route. About 61,000 homes and businesses lost power throughout the state. Most were in Sussex County as high winds and ice either brought down lines or made them "gallop" (wires touched each other and shorted themselves). Most of Lewes lost power for four hours during the evening of the 25th. About 3,500 homes and businesses lost power in Seaford and Bridgeville. Other outages affected Delmar, Fenwick Island, Gumboro, Laurel, Lincoln, Milford, Millsboro and Selbeyville. The high winds also took down dune fencing. The strong onshore winds also produced minor to moderate tidal flooding at the times of the midday high tide on the 25th. Ice in Delaware Bay protected most locations from tidal flooding. This storm also produced considerable beach erosion and left the coast unprepared for a second northeaster. Along the bay, Broradkill Beach experienced tidal flooding and the flooding spread along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. Along Indian River Bay, minor flooding occurred in Pots Nets Cove and Oak Orchard. Along the oceanside, the tide cut through the dunes in Gordons Pond and Whiskey Beach north of Rehoboth Beach. In Rehoboth itself, the ocean reached the dune line and came within 10 feet of the boardwalk. In Dewey Beach, flooding reached McKinley Street and overflowed the eight center blocks. Traditionally this is the first place to flood within Dewey Beach. About 10 percent of the dunes were lost. The ocean also washed over some of the dunes in South Bethany. Tidal flooding was reported along long stretches of Delaware State Route 1 and also parts of Delaware State Route 54. Both roads, despite having water on them, remained open. The high tide at Lewes was 7.7 feet above mean lower low water at 1154 a.m. EST on the 25th. Moderate tidal flooding usually starts at 7.7 feet above mean lower low water. Total Accumulations included: in New Castle County 10 inches at the New Castle County Airport; in Kent County 11 inches in Woodside and Dover, 9 inches in Milford and 8 inches in Viola; in Sussex County 8.5 inches in Georgetown, 8 inches in Seaford, 6.5 inches in Lewes, 6 inches in Laurel and 5 inches in Rehoboth Beach. The low pressure system responsible for the winter storm began as a weak low pressure system on a stationary front in southern Texas on the 23rd. By the morning of the 24th, it was located in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico near Apalachicola, Florida. Initial projections were for this storm system to stay far enough offshore for the heaviest precipitation to fall over the ocean and a more significant storm was expected on Wednesday the 26th. But, by Monday evening the 24th, it became apparent that the storm would not safely go out to sea. In fact, it was intensifying and hugging the South Atlantic Coast. By 7 a.m. EST on the 25th, it was about a 980 millibar low just northeast of Cape Hatteras. The storm's greatest intensification was over, but it moved northeast near the Atlantic Seaboard, instead of eastnortheast as was originally expected. At 7 p.m. EST, the storm was about a 975 millibar low located about 80 miles east of Long Beach Island, New Jersey. It proceeded to move northeast and weaken and at 7 a.m. EST on the 26th, it was a 988 millibar low just east of Portland Maine. This storm system pushed the cold front well offshore. The third low that did develop on Wednesday the 26th was too far offshore to affect the region other than reinforcing the preexisting cold northwest flow.