Flash Flood in Delaware, March 21 to 22, 2000

A rather innocuous looking low pressure system brought heavy rain and stream flooding into New Castle County Delaware. Rain began falling just after midnight on the 21st and was on the light side until around noon EST. The rain was heavy at times from the afternoon of the 21st into the early morning of the 22nd. Rain lingered at a lighter intensity throughout the rest of the morning on the 22nd. Storm totals averaged between 3 and 5 inches. Flooding began along the Christina River (at Coochs Bridge) at 4 p.m. EST on the 21st. By the time the heavy rain was over, there was flooding along all the gaged streams in New Castle County. There was also considerable ponding of water in low lying and poor drainage areas, but no serious injuries were reported. The worst reported flooding occurred in the Glenville area along the Red Clay Creek (near its confluence with the White Clay Creek and the Christina River). West Netherfield Road was closed as numerous homes were flooded. Several homes were also flooded farther downstream along the main stem of the Christina River. None though were destroyed. The heavy rain caused sewers to overflow in Brookhaven. Newark High School opened three hours late on the 22nd because of water on the first floor. The Red Clay Consolidated and New Castle County Vo-Tech school districts canceled classes on the 22nd because flood waters along the Christina River trapped the school buses. In Wilmington, flooding caused cars to become stranded on 12th Street. The Christina River at Coochs Bridge reached its 9 foot flood stage at 4 p.m. EST on the 21st. It crested at 12.3 feet at 6 a.m. EST on the 22nd and was back within bankfull at 1 p.m. EST on the 22nd. The White Clay Creek at Delaware Park reached its 13 foot flood stage at 9 p.m. EST on the 21st, crested at 15.4 feet at 5 a.m. EST on the 22nd and was back to bankfull at 230 p.m. EST on the 22nd. The Red Clay Creek at Wooddale reached its 5.5 foot flood stage at 10 p.m. EST on the 21st, crested at 8.6 feet at 6 a.m. EST on the 22nd and was back to bankfull at Noon EST on the 22nd. The Brandywine Creek in Wilmington was above its 11 foot flood stage from 10 a.m. EST until 9 p.m. EST on the 22nd. It crested at 12.0 feet at 3 p.m. EST on the 22nd.Storm totals included 5.07 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 4.93 inches in Newark and 3.77 inches in Wilmington. The low pressure system responsible for the heavy rain was located near Savannah, Georgia the morning of the 20th. It moved very slowly northeast and at 7 a.m. EST on the 21st it was located near New Bern, North Carolina. The central pressure of this low was about 1017 millibars, higher than normal sea level pressure. The low slowed even further and was located just off of Parramore Island, Virginia at 7 a.m. EST on the 22nd. Its central pressure remained quite weak, only about 1018 millibars. The low then moved quickly out to sea during the day on the 22nd. Just as, if not more, important was a strong blocking high pressure system that remained over the Canadian Maritimes throguhout this event. It slowed the low pressure system's progress and helped establish a prolong and moist southeast fetch from the Atlantic Ocean throughout this event.