Delaware, 1999

Flash Flood and Heavy Rain in Delaware, December 13 to 14, 1999

December 13 to 14, 1999 · NWS PHI · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A slow moving low pressure system moved northeast from southern Texas the morning of the 12th into southern Mississippi the morning of the 13th and into West Virginia the morning of the 14th. A second low pressure system formed near the Delmarva Peninsula during the day on the 14th and moved well offshore that night.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 slow moving low pressure system moved northeast from southern Texas the morning of the 12th into southern Mississippi the morning of the 13th and into West Virginia the morning of the 14th. A second low pressure system formed near the Delmarva Peninsula during the day on the 14th and moved well offshore that night. The slow movement by the low gave the region about 24 hours of steady rain from around noon on the 13th into the early afternoon of the 14th. The heaviest rain (about two-thirds of the storm total) fell during the morning and early afternoon of the 14th. The highest storm totals were in the northern half of the state. Storm totals ranged from around an inch in Sussex County to nearly two inches in New Castle County. The heavy rain caused flooding along the Christina River. At Coochs Bridge, the Christina River reached its 9 foot flood stage at 145 p.m. EST on the 14th, crested at 9.8 feet at 3 p.m. EST on the 14th and was back within bankfull at 6 p.m. EST on the 14th. Elsewhere, some urban and poor drainage flooding occurred, but no other problems were reported. Storm totals included 1.80 inches in Newark (New Castle County), 1.60 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 1.40 inches in Dover (Kent County) and 1.05 inches in Georgetown (Sussex County).

The radar

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

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Event by event

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

Heavy Rain, Kent

When
December 13, 12:00 PM EST to December 14, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Kent County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.096, -75.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, New Castle

When
December 14, 1:45 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
New Castle County, Coochs Bridge
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.578, -75.639 (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.

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, December 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: 5720519, 5720518.