Flash Flood and Coastal Flood in Delaware, February 23 to 24, 1998

Name: Flash Flood and Coastal Flood in Delaware, February 23 to 24, 1998
Start: 1998-02-23T13:00
End: 1998-02-24T08:30
Location: Delaware

February 23 to 24, 1998 · NWS PHI · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

Another northeaster brought heavy rain and strong winds to Delaware on the 23rd and 24th. The onshore flow also brought some minor tidal flooding during the time of high tide the morning of the 24th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

Another northeaster brought heavy rain and strong winds to Delaware on the 23rd and 24th. The onshore flow also brought some minor tidal flooding during the time of high tide the morning of the 24th. Since this northeaster moved rapidly, it was only a one tide cycle event and no major damage was reported. Rain overspread Delaware the morning of the 23rd and became heavy during the afternoon and early evening. While rain lingered well into the 24th, it was not as heavy. Enough heavy rain fell to cause flooding along the Christina River in New Castle County during the evening of the 23rd. The Christina River at Coochs Bridge was above its 9 foot flood stage from about 815 p.m. EST to midnight EST. It crested at 9.6 feet at 10 p.m. EST on the 23rd. The heavy rain caused the usual urban and poor drainage flooding, no other serious flooding was reported. The counterclockwise circulation around the northeaster produced wind gusts as strong as 40 to 50 mph during the afternoon and evening of the 23rd. No serious damage or injuries were reported.Storm totals included 2.57 inches in Dover (Kent County), 2.30 inches in Lewes (Sussex County), 2.00 inches in Bridgeville (Sussex County), 1.92 inches in Odessa (New Castle County), 1.80 inches in Georgetown (Sussex County), 1.50 inches in Newark (New Castle County) and 1.39 inches at the New Castle County Airport. The peak wind gust at the New Castle County Airport was 46 mph on the 23rd. The northeaster responsible for this wet weather was located near New Orleans the morning of February 22th. It moved northeast and reached Myrtle Beach, South Carolina the morning of February 23rd, was about 150 miles east of Atlantic City at daybreak on the 24th and moved to the Gulf of Maine the morning of the 25th.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 heavy rain, 1 flash flood, 1 coastal flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Kent

When: February 23, 1:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Kent County, Countywide
Coordinates: 39.096, -75.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, New Castle

When: February 23, 1:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: New Castle County, Countywide
Coordinates: 39.578, -75.639 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Sussex

When: February 23, 1:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Sussex County, Countywide
Coordinates: 38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, New Castle

When: February 23, 8:13 PM EST to February 24, 12:06 AM EST
Where: New Castle County, Coochs Bridge
Coordinates: 39.578, -75.639 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Coastal Flood, Delaware Beaches

When: February 24, 3:30 AM EST to 8:30 AM 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.
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.
Coastal Flood: Flooding of coastal land by the sea, from storm surge, onshore wind or high tides.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Delaware in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Delaware, February 1998

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: 5631758, 5631759, 5631760, 5631761, 5631762.