Delaware, 1996

Heavy Rain in Delaware, December 12 to 14, 1996

December 12 to 14, 1996 · NWS PHI · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A slow moving low pressure system moved from the central Ohio Valley the morning of the 12th to Williamsburg Virginia the morning of the 13th, to about 100 miles east of Fenwick Island Delaware the morning of the 14th and then drifted southeast and was about 275 miles southeast of Fenwick Island Delaware the morning of the 15th. This produced about 48 hours of continuous rain from the evening of…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
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  • Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.

A slow moving low pressure system moved from the central Ohio Valley the morning of the 12th to Williamsburg Virginia the morning of the 13th, to about 100 miles east of Fenwick Island Delaware the morning of the 14th and then drifted southeast and was about 275 miles southeast of Fenwick Island Delaware the morning of the 15th. This produced about 48 hours of continuous rain from the evening of the 12th through the evening of the 14th. Rain was heavy at times during the night of the 13th and the morning of the 14th. Storm totals averaged around three inches. Since the rain was spread over an extended period of time, flooding was confined to only the usual poor drainage and low-lying areas. Stream and river flooding occurred farther north in New Castle County. Rainfall totals included 4.61 inches in Lewes, 3.5 inches in Dover, 2.91 inches in Georgetown, and 2.57 inches in Bridgeville.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

3 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Kent

When
December 12, 11:00 PM EST to December 14, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Kent forecast zone
Coordinates
39.096, -75.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Inland Sussex

When
December 12, 11:00 PM EST to December 14, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Inland Sussex forecast zone
Coordinates
38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Delaware Beaches

When
December 12, 11:00 PM EST to December 14, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Delaware Beaches forecast zone
Coordinates
38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Delaware in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Delaware, December 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5576941, 5576942, 5576943.