Delaware, 1996

Flash Flood in Delaware, March 19 to 20, 1996

March 19 to 20, 1996 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

One inch to one and a half inches of rain fell on saturated soils across the Christina River Basin. This pushed the river above its flood stage of 9 feet at Coochs Bridge.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

One inch to one and a half inches of rain fell on saturated soils across the Christina River Basin. This pushed the river above its flood stage of 9 feet at Coochs Bridge. The river crested at 10.6 feet just past midnight on the 20th and was within bankfull by 3 a.m.. No serious injuries or flooding damage was reported.

The radar

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

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Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, New Castle

When
March 19, 8:45 PM EST to March 20, 2:45 AM EST
Where
New Castle County, Northern
Coordinates
39.578, -75.639 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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, March 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: 5552543.