Delaware, 1999

Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Delaware, March 9 to 10, 1999

March 9 to 10, 1999 · NWS PHI · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A low pressure system that developed in Oklahoma the morning of the 8th, moved northeast into the lower Ohio Valley the morning of the 9th and then moved eastsoutheast exiting the United States mainland along the North Carolina/Virginia border during the early morning of the 10th. S.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
3

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 low pressure system that developed in Oklahoma the morning of the 8th, moved northeast into the lower Ohio Valley the morning of the 9th and then moved eastsoutheast exiting the United States mainland along the North Carolina/Virginia border during the early morning of the 10th. The low passed close enough to the Delaware to bring snow to the state, with heavy snow falling in western parts (west of U.S. Route 13) of Sussex County. Accumulations ranged from two to six inches in Sussex County, around two to three inches in Kent County and two inches or less (just a trace far north) in New Castle County. Snow began around noon on the 9th. The heaviest snow fell during the late afternoon and early evening hours. The accumulating snow was over during the early morning of the 10th. Lighter snow or flurries persisted through the morning of the 10th. The snow caused some minor accidents. No serious ones were reported.Accumulations included 6 inches in Seaford (Sussex County), 5 inches in Delmar (Sussex County), 4 inches in Bridgeville (Sussex County), 3 inches in Greenwood, Georgetown (Sussex County) and Milford (Kent/Sussex County border) and 2 inches in Rehoboth (Sussex County) and Dover (Kent County).

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter weather, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Kent

When
March 9, 12:00 PM EST to March 10, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Kent forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.096, -75.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Delaware Beaches

When
March 9, 12:00 PM EST to March 10, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Delaware Beaches forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Inland Sussex

When
March 9, 12:00 PM EST to March 10, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Inland Sussex forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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, March 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: 5691816, 5691817, 5691818.