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Delaware Flood Stories

100 first-hand accounts of flood events in Delaware, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.

Flash Flood2 deaths$8.0M damage

New Castle, DE · Sep 16, 1999

Hurricane Floyd battered Delaware (especially New Castle County) on September 16th and brought with it torrential rains and damaging winds. The hurricane caused widespread flash flooding as storm totals averaged around nine inches, most of which fell in a twelve hour period…

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Flash Flood2 deaths

New Castle, DE · Aug 27, 2011

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…

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Coastal Flood$700K damage

Inland Sussex, DE · Feb 4, 1998

The strongest northeaster of the winter battered Kent and Sussex Counties with damaging winds, severe coastal flooding, extensive beach erosion, several dune breaches and heavy rain. A state of emergency was declared for all or parts of Sussex County from 7 a.m.

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Flash Flood$16.1M damage

New Castle, DE · Sep 15, 2003

Remnant moisture from Tropical Storm Henri produced copious amounts of rain during the early morning of the 15th across northern New Castle County and hit Mill Creek Hundred in the northwest part of the county the hardest.

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Flash Flood$150K damage

Sussex, DE · Sep 16, 1999

Hurricane Floyd battered Delaware (especially New Castle County) on September 16th and brought with it torrential rains and damaging winds. The hurricane caused widespread flash flooding as storm totals averaged around nine inches, most of which fell in a twelve hour period…

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Coastal Flood$40.0M damage

Delaware Beaches, DE · Nov 12, 2009

A powerful nor'easter produced wind gusts nearly as high as 60 mph, widespread moderate tidal flooding, heavy rain and severe beach erosion along the Delaware coast from November 12th through the 14th. Preliminary damage was estimated at 45 million dollars.

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Coastal Flood$2.3M damage

New Castle, DE · Oct 30, 2012

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.

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Tropical Storm$8.5M damage

Kent, DE · Sep 18, 2003

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.

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Tropical Storm$8.0M damage

Inland Sussex, DE · Sep 18, 2003

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.

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Coastal Flood$5.0M damage

Inland Sussex, DE · Nov 12, 2009

A powerful nor'easter produced wind gusts nearly as high as 60 mph, widespread moderate tidal flooding, heavy rain and severe beach erosion along the Delaware coast from November 12th through the 14th. Preliminary damage was estimated at 45 million dollars.

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Coastal Flood$1.0M damage

Delaware Beaches, DE · Oct 28, 2012

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.

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Coastal Flood$700K damage

Kent, DE · Oct 29, 2012

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.

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Coastal Flood$500K damage

Inland Sussex, DE · Oct 28, 2012

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.

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Tropical Storm$1.2M damage

Delaware Beaches, DE · Sep 18, 2003

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.

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Flash Flood$1.1M damage

Sussex, DE · Aug 11, 2001

Slow moving thunderstorms with torrential rains inundated southwestern Sussex County during the late afternoon of the 11th. Doppler Radar storm total estimates reached 8.4 inches around Seaford.

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Coastal Flood$1.0M damage

Delaware Beaches, DE · Feb 4, 1998

The strongest northeaster of the winter battered Kent and Sussex Counties with damaging winds, severe coastal flooding, extensive beach erosion, several dune breaches and heavy rain. A state of emergency was declared for all or parts of Sussex County from 7 a.m.

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Flash Flood$1.0M damage

Sussex, DE · Jun 25, 2006

Repeating thunderstorms with torrential downpours dropped a Doppler Radar estimated six to eight inches of rain across southwestern parts of Sussex County during the morning of the 25th. This caused extensive roadway, field and stream flooding.

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Coastal Flood$800K damage

Delaware Beaches, DE · Jan 28, 1998

An intense northeaster pounded Kent and Sussex Counties with tidal flooding, beach erosion, strong winds and heavy rain on the 28th. Conditions were progressively worse closer to the coast in Kent and Sussex Counties. Severe coastal flooding was reported in Sussex County.

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Storm Surge/Tide$750K damage

Delaware Beaches, DE · Feb 17, 2003

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.

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Flash Flood$625K damage

Kent, DE · Jul 12, 2004

A series of thunderstorms with torrential downpours caused flooding from Clayton and Smyrna southeast through Dover. Hardest hit was Smyrna which declared a state of emergency after 11.10 inches of rain fell. This represents approximately a once in five hundred year storm.

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Flood$600K damage

New Castle, DE · Oct 1, 2010

A series of low pressure systems that moved north along a slowly moving cold front brought heavy rain into Delaware on September 30th and October 1st. Event precipitation totals average 4 to 8 inches with the highest amounts in New Castle County.

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Coastal Flood$500K damage

Inland Sussex, DE · Jan 28, 1998

An intense northeaster pounded Kent and Sussex Counties with tidal flooding, beach erosion, strong winds and heavy rain on the 28th. Conditions were progressively worse closer to the coast in Kent and Sussex Counties. Severe coastal flooding was reported in Sussex County.

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Coastal Flood$50K damage

Delaware Beaches, DE · Mar 6, 2013

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.

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Flash Flood$50K damage

Sussex, DE · Jul 12, 2013

A low pressure system that formed on a frontal boundary helped produce showers and thunderstorms with very heavy downpours and led to flooding and flash flooding in Delaware.

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