Heavy Snow in Delaware, March 26, 2001

Name: Heavy Snow in Delaware, March 26, 2001
Start: 2001-03-26T03:00
End: 2001-03-26T10:30
Location: Delaware

March 26, 2001 · NWS PHI · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A vigorous upper air disturbance produced snow showers across Delaware during the morning of the 26th. Accumulations averaged between 1 and 3 inches.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

A vigorous upper air disturbance produced snow showers across Delaware during the morning of the 26th. Accumulations averaged between 1 and 3 inches. Secondary and tertiary roadways were slippery, mainly before sunrise. Specific accumulations included 2.3 inches in Greenwood (Sussex County), 1.7 inches in Bear (New Castle County), 1 inch in Milford (Kent County) and 0.7 inches at the New Castle County Airport. This was the last widespread measurable snow of the season for Delaware.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 25, 1:15 PM EST, 13 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 25, 1:15 PM EST, 13 hours 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
115 PM EST SUN MAR 25 2001

AFTER COOR WITH BGM/NYC...WE WILL ISSUE A WINTER WX ADVISORY FOR
PA54/55 AND N1. STRONG SHORT WAVE FEEDING AROUND THE UPPER LOW WILL
AFFECT THE REGION BEGINNING AROUND DAWN MON. THE ABOVE MENTIONED
ZONES ARE IN THE TRACK OF BEST LIFT AND WITHIN AN AREA OF A
VORTICITY MIN/MAX COUPLET. BOTH THE ETA/AVN AGREE WITH THIS. FCST
AMNTS 2 TO 4 INCHES.

FARTHER SOUTH...THE DYNAMICS DONT LINE UP AS WELL WITH THE FCST VORT
MAX PATH TO THE N. ALSO...SINCE MOST ANY ACCUMULATION SHOULD BE
DURING THE DAYTIME (PERHAPS A BIT BEFORE SUNRISE)...SNOW WILL HAVE A
DIFFICULT TIME ACCUMULATING DUE TO SOLAR INSOLATION THROUGH CLOUD
COVER AND TEMPS AT OR ABOVE 32.

THE SHRT WAVE EXITS TO THE NE LATE MON WITH HIGH PRES AND DRY AIR
FOLLOWING.

GUIDANCE TEMPS GENLY OK EXCEPT DURING MON WHERE CLOUDS AND PCPN
COMBINED WITH A LATE SEASON UNUSUALLY COLD AIRMSS HOLDING MAX TEMPS
DOWN. MON NIGHT GUIDANCE MINS N LOOK TOO HIGH TOO WITH EXPECTED SNOW
COVER.

MAR...WILL HEADLINE SCA MAY BE NEEDED MON AFTN NJ/DE COASTS AND LWR
BAY.

.PHI...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR 2-4 SNOW PA54/55/N1 FOR MONDAY.

RNS/JWH

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Delaware Beaches / X E Sussex

When: March 26, 3:00 AM EST to 10:30 AM EST
Where: Delaware Beaches / X E Sussex 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 26, 3:00 AM EST to 10:30 AM EST
Where: Inland Sussex forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kent

When: March 26, 3:00 AM EST to 10:30 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)

Heavy Snow, New Castle

When: March 26, 3:00 AM EST to 10:30 AM EST
Where: New Castle forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 39.578, -75.639 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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

Every storm in Delaware in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Delaware, March 2001

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: 5235295, 5235296, 5235297, 5235298.