High Wind and Strong Wind in Delaware, March 6 to 7, 1997

A rapidly intensifying low pressure system and the pressure difference between it and a high pressure system over the Upper Plains caused damaging winds in the northern half of the state and very strong winds in the southern half of the state. The surface low pressure system went from a pressure of 1012 millibars in Western Kentucky the morning of the 5th to a pressure of 986 millibars just east of Boston the morning of the 6th. The drop of 26 millibars or .78 inches of mercury within a 24 hour period constitutes what's called a meteorological bomb. The rapid intensification of this storm helped cause the very strong winds. The strong offshore winds also helped produce the relatively rare blow-out tide conditions at times of low tides from around noon on the 6th through around noon on the 7th. The strongest wind gusts for most places coincided with this low pressure system's cold frontal passage during the early morning of the 6th. But winds remained very strong until the sun set that afternoon. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 3,000 customers lost power across the peninsula with the most reports in Delaware in New Castle County. The strongest wind gust at Dover AFB was 55 mph. In Dover, a fallen tree crushed a vehicle. In Townsend, a concrete pole was knocked down. Numerous other tree limbs and consequently wires were pulled down, especially in the northern half of the state.