Delaware, 2002

Flash Flood in Delaware, June 19, 2002

June 19, 2002 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Slow moving thunderstorms with heavy rain dropped a Doppler Radar estimated three to four inches of rain within two hours across extreme northwest New Castle County and adjacent locations of Chester County Pennsylvania. This caused poor drainage and stream flooding in northern parts of Mill Creek and Christina Hundreds.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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  • 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
1

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.

Slow moving thunderstorms with heavy rain dropped a Doppler Radar estimated three to four inches of rain within two hours across extreme northwest New Castle County and adjacent locations of Chester County Pennsylvania. This caused poor drainage and stream flooding in northern parts of Mill Creek and Christina Hundreds.

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 Jun 19, 12:30 PM EST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 19, 12:30 PM EST, 5 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
130 PM EDT WED JUN 19 2002

DISC: COMBINATION OF SFC OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FROM EARLIER CONVECTION AND
COOLING FROM ALOFT IS HELPING TO INITIATE TSTMS RANDOMLY ACROSS CFA. SFC
DEW POINTS IN THE 60S SRN AREAS WITH CONSDIRABLE LO LVL DRYING
ACROSS NRN TIER COUNTIES. PRESENT ACTIVITY FORMING ON RIDGE LINE ON
MONROE/CARBON COUNTY LINE...ACROSS CENTRAL NJ AND WEAKER ECHOES ON
ERN SHORE. THE CONVECTION LATER TODAY WILL NOT BE DISSIPATING AFTER
SS AND MAY EVEN INTENSIFY SOMEWHAT THRU 10 PM WITH HEAVY RAIN AT
LEAT. FEEL THAT MOST PRECIP WILL BE OVER THIS EVENING BUT WILL
CONTINUE MENTION OF A CHC TSTM IN THE EXTREME LOWER END OF THE CFA
AT DAYBREAK THU. OTHERWISE STRONG UPPER RIDGE DEVELOPS OVER REGION
AND TRIES TO KEEP AREA DRY. HOWEVER...AVN IS LITTLE MORE AGRESSIVE
WITH DEVELOPING SYSTEM ALONG THE CAROLINAS. MOST SIG DIFFERENT BEING
THE SPLIT IN THE UPPER RIDGE AND AVN ATTEMPTING TO BRING THE MOIST
NORTH ALONG THE COAST ON FRI. MAY INTRO SOME PCPN FOR SRN AREAS ON
FRI.

GETTING THIS OUT BEFORE ZONES IN ORDER TO GEAR UP FOR ANY DEVELOPING
STORMS. WILL RESEND AFD WITH CCF DATA APPENDED.

NOTHING ON THE MARINE

MPO   57  77  59  80 /  50  10  20  20
ABE   60  79  61  82 /  50  10  20  20
RDG   60  79  61  82 /  50  10  20  20
PHL   65  80  63  82 /  50  10  20  30
12N   57  77  59  80 /  50  10  20  20
SMQ   60  79  61  82 /  50  10  20  20
TTN   63  81  63  83 /  50  10  20  20
MIV   65  77  65  77 /  50  10  30  30
ACY   64  71  66  71 /  50  10  30  40
ILG   63  81  63  83 /  50  10  20  20
DOV   65  81  66  82 /  50  10  30  40
GED   65  81  66  82 /  50  10  30  40
ESN   65  81  66  82 /  50  10  30  40

.PHI...
DE...NONE.
MD...NONE.
NJ...NONE.
PA...NONE.
MARINE...NONE.

EBERWINE/MARTIN   (RESENT FOR TEMP/POP DATA)

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 19, 5:24 PM EST, 36 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
624 PM EDT WED JUN 19 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0929 AM    WILLINGBORO               NJ   0.75 IN HAIL
06/19/02   BURLINGTON

0937 AM    WESTAMPTON                NJ   WIND DAMAGE
06/19/02   BURLINGTON                     A FEW TREES DOWN. WIRES
                                          DOWN.

0342 PM    TEMPLEVILLE               MD   0.75 IN HAIL
06/19/02   CAROLINE

0300 PM    GOLDSBORO                 MD   0.75 IN HAIL
06/19/02   CAROLINE

0345 PM    5W WOODSIDE               DE   0.75 IN HAIL
06/19/02   KENT

0411 PM    VOORHEES                  NJ   0.75 IN HAIL
06/19/02   CAMDEN

0414 PM    PHILADELPHIA              PA   0.75 IN HAIL
06/19/02   PHILADELPHIA

0400 PM    PLYMOUTH                  PA   0.75 IN HAIL
06/19/02   MONTGOMERY

0442 PM    MARLTON                   NJ   1.75 IN HAIL
06/19/02   BURLINGTON

0510 PM    4E CAMDEN                 NJ   1.00 IN HAIL
06/19/02   CAMDEN

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, New Castle

When
June 19, 6:00 PM EST to 7:30 PM EST
Where
New Castle County, Northwest Portion
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.578, -75.639 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Delaware in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Delaware, June 2002

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: 5308208.