Delaware, 2000

Flood and Heavy Rain in Delaware, December 17, 2000

December 17, 2000 · NWS PHI · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An unseasonably warm air mass and an intense low pressure system and cold front not only set the stage for an extremely windy day, but also produced heavy rain and flooding across Kent and New Castle Counties in Delaware. A series of showers and thunderstorms with heavy downpours moved across the region during the first half of the 17th.

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.

An unseasonably warm air mass and an intense low pressure system and cold front not only set the stage for an extremely windy day, but also produced heavy rain and flooding across Kent and New Castle Counties in Delaware. A series of showers and thunderstorms with heavy downpours moved across the region during the first half of the 17th. The heaviest rain fell across northwestern New Castle County and forced several major streams and rivers in the county above bankfull. At least six major roads in New Castle County were closed due to flooding including Delaware State Route 9 in Dobbinsville. There were nine water rescues from vehicles stuck in high water as they tried to cross flooded roadways. One vehicle was seen floating down Mill Creek in Hockessin. The Christina River at Coochs Bridge was above its 9 foot flood stage from 645 a.m. EST through 6 p.m. EST on the 17th. It crested at 12.53 feet at Noon EST. The White Clay Creek near Newark reached its 13 foot flood stage at 9.am. EST on the 17th, crested at 14.58 feet at 1230 p.m. EST and was back within bankfull at 630 p.m. EST on the 17th. The Red Clay Creek at Stanton was above its 15 foot flood stage from 11 a.m. EST through 6 p.m. EST on the 17th. It crested at 17.1 feet at 230 p.m. EST.Storm totals included 3.34 inches in Newark (New Castle County), 2.29 inches in Wilmington (New Castle County), 2.12 inches in Bear (New Castle County), 1.68 inches at the Dover Air Force Base (Kent County) and 1.61 inches at the New Castle County Airport.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Heavy Rain, Kent

When
December 17, 3:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM 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)

Flood, New Castle

When
December 17, 6:45 AM EST to 6:30 PM EST
Where
New Castle forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
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.
Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Delaware in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Delaware, December 2000

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: 5167984, 5167983.