Thunderstorm Wind, Sussex
- When
- July 16, 2:32 PM EST
- Where
- Sussex County, Fenwick Is
- Coordinates
- 38.470, -75.050
Hail and Damaging Wind in Delaware, July 16, 1997
A severe thunderstorm blew the roof off a house and a catamaran was blown off Delaware State Route 1 in Fenwick Island. The same thunderstorm dropped quarter size hail in Bethany Beach.
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
- 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 severe thunderstorm blew the roof off a house and a catamaran was blown off Delaware State Route 1 in Fenwick Island. The same thunderstorm dropped quarter size hail in Bethany Beach. Later that afternoon thunderstorms became prolific heavy rain producers and caused some urban and poor drainage flooding. In Bethany Beach, 2.9 inches of rain fell within one hour.
The radar
The Dover AFB radar (KDOX), 52 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:30 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Sussex
- When
- July 16, 2:32 PM EST
- Where
- Sussex County, Bethany Beach
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 38.530, -75.070
Heavy Rain, Sussex
- When
- July 16, 3:20 PM EST to 4:20 PM EST
- Where
- Sussex County, Bethany Beach
- Coordinates
- 38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- 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
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Wisconsin, July 16, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Virginia, July 16, 1997
- Heat in Wisconsin, July 16, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 16 to 17, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, July 16 to 17, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 16 to 17, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, July 16, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, July 16, 1997
- Hail and Lightning Strike in New Jersey, July 16, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, July 16, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, July 16, 1997
- Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, July 16, 1997
More
Every storm in Delaware in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Delaware, July 1997
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: 5614493, 5614494, 5614495.