Delaware, 2000

High Wind in Delaware, December 17, 2000

December 17, 2000 · NWS PHI · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

An unseasonably warm air mass and an intense low pressure system and cold front set the stage for an extremely windy day across Delaware on December 17th. Gusty southerly winds buffeted the region during the first half of the day.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
4

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 set the stage for an extremely windy day across Delaware on December 17th. Gusty southerly winds buffeted the region during the first half of the day. As the cold front passed through the region during the afternoon of the 17th, the strong southerly winds were replaced by equally strong westerly winds into the evening. Most of the peak wind gusts occurred during the morning and were between 40 and 45 mph. Downed limbs caused about 1,000 homes and businesses to lose power in New Castle County. A construction trailer was blown over in Midway in Sussex County. Peak wind gusts included 45 mph at the New Castle County Airport, 43 mph at the Georgetown (Sussex County) Airport and 39 mph at Dover Air Force Base. The high temperature of 62 degrees at the New Castle County Airport broke the daily high temperature record for the 17th.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Delaware Beaches

When
December 17, 3:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where
Delaware Beaches forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Inland Sussex

When
December 17, 3:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where
Inland Sussex forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Kent

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

High Wind, New Castle

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

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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: 5167847, 5167848, 5167849, 5167850.