Winter Weather, New Castle
- When
- November 28, 2:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- New Castle forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.578, -75.639 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather in Delaware, November 28, 1996
The combination of some very light snow (for most the first snow of the season), road and air temperatures below freezing and heavy traffic volume because of Thanksgiving Day caused roadways to become extremely slippery and hazardous, especially on bridges, ramps and overpasses. m.
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.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
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.
The combination of some very light snow (for most the first snow of the season), road and air temperatures below freezing and heavy traffic volume because of Thanksgiving Day caused roadways to become extremely slippery and hazardous, especially on bridges, ramps and overpasses. Accumulations were less than an inch and the snow was over by 6 p.m. EST. But that was enough to cause numerous accidents across the area. Because of the holiday and the surprising results of this light snow, it took a while for road crews to recover.In New Castle County, 193 accidents resulting in 61 injuries occurred between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. EST. The worst accident involved two minivans crashing into each other over a bridge on the Christina River. Two men were critically injured and four others were hospitalized. Most of the accidents occurred on the major roadways: Interstates 95, 295 and 495 and Delaware State Route 141.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Winter Weather
- Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in Utah, November 28 to 29, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, November 28, 1996
- High Wind in California, November 28 to 29, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, November 28, 1996
- Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, November 28, 1996
- Winter Weather in New Jersey, November 28, 1996
- Winter Storm in Arizona, November 28 to 30, 1996
- High Wind in Wyoming, November 28, 1996
- High Wind in Wyoming, November 28, 1996
- High Wind in Montana, November 28, 1996
- High Wind in Montana, November 28, 1996
More
Every storm in Delaware in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Delaware, November 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: 5576277.