Alert archive / Delaware / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2025

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

May 16, 2025Sussex County, Delaware

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 16, 2025, 2:18 PM EDT for Sussex County, Delaware. It was in force for 42 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: May 16, 2025, 2:18 PM EDT (18:18 UTC)
Expired: May 16, 2025, 3:00 PM EDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 1.5 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

County Sussex County, DE

The radar

The Dover AFB radar (KDOX), 21 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:19 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 16, 10:06 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 12:00Z, 6.3 hours before the alert went out and 96 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1302 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -77 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 868 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 71 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 197 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: -0.1
Supercell composite: -0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

315 
WUUS51 KPHI 161818
SVRPHI
DEC005-161900-
/O.NEW.KPHI.SV.W.0049.250516T1818Z-250516T1900Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
218 PM EDT Fri May 16 2025

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly NJ has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
  Northeastern Sussex County in southern Delaware...

* Until 300 PM EDT.

* At 218 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Lewes, or 12
  miles northeast of Georgetown, moving southeast at 20 mph.

  HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated.

  IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail 
           damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Wind 
           damage to roofs, siding, trees, and power lines is 
           possible.

* Locations impacted include...
  Lewes, Milton, Henlopen Acres, Cape Henlopen State Park, and Dewey
  Beach.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

In addition to large hail and damaging winds, frequent cloud to
ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Move indoors
immediately. Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough
to be struck by lightning.

&&

LAT...LON 3877 7535 3891 7527 3881 7515 3881 7507
      3860 7505
TIME...MOT...LOC 1818Z 300DEG 16KT 3879 7519 

HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.50 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

Staarmann

3 follow-up statements

168 
WWUS51 KPHI 161830
SVSPHI

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
230 PM EDT Fri May 16 2025

DEC005-161900-
/O.CON.KPHI.SV.W.0049.000000T0000Z-250516T1900Z/
Sussex DE-
230 PM EDT Fri May 16 2025

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM EDT
FOR EAST CENTRAL SUSSEX COUNTY...

At 229 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Lewes, or 14
miles east of Georgetown, moving southeast at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail 
         damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Wind damage 
         to roofs, siding, trees, and power lines is possible.

Locations impacted include...
Lewes, Milton, Henlopen Acres, Cape Henlopen State Park, and Dewey
Beach.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Move
indoors immediately. Lightning is one of nature's leading killers.
Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck
by lightning.

&&

LAT...LON 3877 7533 3882 7528 3881 7515 3881 7507
      3860 7505
TIME...MOT...LOC 1829Z 300DEG 16KT 3876 7513 

HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.50 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

Staarmann

956 
WWUS51 KPHI 161845
SVSPHI

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
245 PM EDT Fri May 16 2025

DEC005-161900-
/O.CON.KPHI.SV.W.0049.000000T0000Z-250516T1900Z/
Sussex DE-
245 PM EDT Fri May 16 2025

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM EDT
FOR EAST CENTRAL SUSSEX COUNTY...

At 245 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Henlopen Acres,
or 13 miles east of Georgetown, moving southeast at 15 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail 
         damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Wind damage 
         to roofs, siding, trees, and power lines is possible.

Locations impacted include...
Lewes, Henlopen Acres, and Dewey Beach.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Move
indoors immediately. Lightning is one of nature's leading killers.
Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck
by lightning.

&&

LAT...LON 3873 7526 3878 7522 3877 7507 3876 7506
      3860 7505
TIME...MOT...LOC 1845Z 324DEG 11KT 3872 7513 

HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.50 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

Staarmann

357 
WWUS51 KPHI 161857
SVSPHI

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
257 PM EDT Fri May 16 2025

DEC005-161907-
/O.EXP.KPHI.SV.W.0049.000000T0000Z-250516T1900Z/
Sussex DE-
257 PM EDT Fri May 16 2025

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL SUSSEX COUNTY
WILL EXPIRE AT 300 PM EDT...

The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe 
limits, and are moving offshore. Therefore, the warning will be 
allowed to expire.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 500 PM EDT for
southern Delaware.

To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement
agency. They will relay your report to the National Weather Service
Mount Holly NJ.

LAT...LON 3873 7526 3878 7522 3877 7507 3876 7506
      3860 7505
TIME...MOT...LOC 1857Z 300DEG 16KT 3871 7510 

$$

Staarmann

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 15, 9:34 PM EDT	Dense Fog Advisory	PHI	Kent, New Castle, Sussex	12 hr
May 16, 11:16 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	New Castle	59 min
May 16, 11:32 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	PHI	New Castle	4 hr
May 16, 12:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	New Castle	40 min
May 16, 1:52 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PHI	Sussex	38 min
May 16, 2:23 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PHI	Sussex	52 min
May 16, 6:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	PHI	Kent, New Castle, Sussex	70 min
May 16, 6:56 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PHI	Sussex	34 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Delaware, 2025 Every severe thunderstorm 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.