Alert archive / Delaware / Flash Flood Warnings in 2025

Flash Flood Warning 45, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

July 9, 2025New Castle County, Delaware; Delaware County, Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this flash flood warning at Jul 9, 2025, 7:18 PM EDT for New Castle County, Delaware; Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 4 hr. 11 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jul 9, 2025, 7:18 PM EDT (23:18 UTC)
Expired
Jul 9, 2025, 11:15 PM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties New Castle County, DE, Delaware County, PA

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 101 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:20 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 9, 7:40 PM EDTFLASH FLOOD1 W Quarryville, DEStreet and road closures due to flooding with vehicles stranded.
Jul 9, 8:00 PM EDTFLASH FLOODConcord Twp, PARoad flooding with car stranded at Spring Valley Rd and Brinton Lake Rd.
Jul 9, 8:00 PM EDTFLASH FLOODElam, PAUS 202 flooded in Elam.
Jul 9, 8:00 PM EDTFLASH FLOODFairfax, DERoadway flooding ongoing in Fairfax. Several roads underwater. Time given in report.
Jul 9, 8:05 PM EDTFLASH FLOODGlen Mills, PARoadway flooded and vehicles stranded at Baltimore Pike and Brinton Lake Rd.
Jul 9, 8:10 PM EDTFLASH FLOOD1 N Wooddale, DECreek Rd. at Snuff Mill Rd. closed due to flooding.
Jul 9, 8:22 PM EDTFLASH FLOODChadds Ford Twp, PARoad flooding with cars stranded at Ring Rd. and Baltimore Pike.
Jul 9, 8:24 PM EDTFLASH FLOODWilmington, DEBuildings and street flooding in Wilmington. People stranded.
Jul 9, 8:38 PM EDTFLASH FLOODGlen Mills, PASeveral public reports of water rescues ongoing in Glens Mills.
Jul 9, 9:00 PM EDTFLASH FLOODHockessin, DEHockessin Park is underwater from Mill Creek as shown in video and pictures sent in.
Jul 9, 9:30 PM EDTFLASH FLOODTybrook, DEThe Red Clay Creek at Woodale rose rapidly into flood stage.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 185 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2025-07-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 647 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2025-07-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -8 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
647 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-65 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
836 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
42 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

058 
WGUS51 KPHI 092318
FFWPHI
DEC003-PAC045-100315-
/O.NEW.KPHI.FF.W.0045.250709T2318Z-250710T0315Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
718 PM EDT Wed Jul 9 2025

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
  Northwestern New Castle County in northern Delaware...
  Southwestern Delaware County in southeastern Pennsylvania...

* Until 1115 PM EDT.

* At 718 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing 
  heavy rain across the warned area. Between 0.5 and 1 inch of rain 
  has fallen. The expected rainfall rate is 1.5 to 2.5 inches in 1 
  hour. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2.5 inches are possible 
  in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin 
  shortly.

  HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

  SOURCE...Radar.

  IMPACT...Flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas,
           highways, streets, and underpasses as well as other
           drainage and low lying areas.

* Some locations that may experience flash flooding include...
  Wilmington, Newark, Chester, Swarthmore, Elsmere, Newport, Arden, 
  Talleyville, Elam, Greenville, Concordville and Chelsea.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around...don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most 
flood deaths occur in vehicles.

Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads.

&&

LAT...LON 3987 7560 3991 7555 3993 7554 3992 7552
      3994 7552 3997 7546 3996 7536 3992 7534
      3986 7538 3973 7556 3969 7563 3968 7579
      3972 7579 3972 7577 3976 7575 3980 7570
      3984 7560

FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED
EXPECTED RAINFALL RATE...1.5-2.5 INCHES IN 1 HOUR

$$

Hoeflich

The office that day

Everything else NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 8, 9:52 PM EDTFlood WatchPHIKent, New Castle, Sussex26 hr
Jul 9, 7:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHINew Castle51 min
Jul 9, 7:38 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHINew Castle4 hr
Jul 9, 6:39 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHIChester4 hr
Jul 9, 7:47 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHIChester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Delaware, 2025Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2025Every flash flood warning in 2025

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.