Delaware, 1999

Flash Flood in Delaware, January 18, 1999

January 18, 1999 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The combination of showers and thunderstorms with heavy rain and the already saturated ground caused flooding along some of the river and streams across northern New Castle County. m.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
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.

The combination of showers and thunderstorms with heavy rain and the already saturated ground caused flooding along some of the river and streams across northern New Castle County. The Christina River at Coochs Bridge was above its 9 foot flood stage from 5 p.m. through 9 p.m. EST on the 18th. It crested at 9.82 feet at 7 p.m. EST. A 45-year-old woman was rescued when her car became stranded in flood waters. Storm totals were not very heavy rain, but this came just a couple of days after another heavy precipitation event. Rainfall totals included 1.2 inches in Newark and 1.19 inches in Wilmington.

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
January 18, 5:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
New Castle County, North Portion
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
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, January 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: 5685299.