Delaware, 1999

Flash Flood in Delaware, August 26 to 27, 1999

August 26 to 27, 1999 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Thunderstorms with torrential downpours caused urban and poor drainage flooding during the evening and the night of the 26th in New Castle County as well as flooding along the Christina River. Heavy rain that fell during the early morning of the 26th left the area vulnerable to future heavy rain.

Where it happened

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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.

Thunderstorms with torrential downpours caused urban and poor drainage flooding during the evening and the night of the 26th in New Castle County as well as flooding along the Christina River. Heavy rain that fell during the early morning of the 26th left the area vulnerable to future heavy rain. As heavy rain started falling in the county at 9 p.m. EDT, streams and rivers started responding quickly. The Christina River at Coochs Bridge reached its 9 foot flood stage at 10 p.m. EDT on the 26th, it crested at 10.5 feet at 11 p.m. EDT and was back within bankfull at 3 a.m. EDT on the 27th. Storm totals included 2.82 inches in Wilmington and 1.90 inches in Newark. No serious damage or injuries were 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
August 26, 9:00 PM EST to August 27, 2:00 AM EST
Where
New Castle County, North Portion
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
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 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Delaware, August 1999

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: 5718103.