Gusty northwest winds around an intensifying low pressure system produced wind gusts to around 50 mph during the afternoon of the 29th in Delaware. Peak wind gusts included 52 mph in Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County) and 46 mph at the New Castle County Airport.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.
Gusty northwest winds around an intensifying low pressure system produced wind gusts to around 50 mph during the afternoon of the 29th in Delaware. Peak wind gusts included 52 mph in Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County) and 46 mph at the New Castle County Airport. The strong winds were caused by the difference in surface pressure between a powerful (about 975 millibars) low pressure system moving through the Saint Lawrence River Valley and a high pressure system building northeast from the Gulf Coast States.
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 Nov 29, 10:25 AM EST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 1025 AM EST SAT NOV 29 2003 UPDATED THE ZFP THIS MORNING TO REFRESH WORDING. WAS TINKERING WITH THE IDEA OF ISSUING A WIND ADVISORY BUT HAVE DECIDED TO STAY WITH THE THINKING OF PREV FCSTRS...WINDS SHOULD STAY JUST BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA (31 TO 39 MPH SUSTAINED WITH GUSTS OVER 45 MPH). WITH THIS IN MIND...AN SPS WAS ISSUED ABOUT THE WINDS EARLIER TODAY. GALES CONTINUE ALONG THE COAST AND DEL BAY. WINDS NOW GUSTING TO 37 KT AT SHIP JOHN SHOAL AND 41 KT AT BUOY 009. .PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...NONE. NJ...NONE. DE...NONE. MD...NONE. MARINE/OCEAN...GALE WARNING ANZ450>455. MARINE/DEL BAY...GALE WARNING ANZ430-431. PREV AFD BELOW: JJM ############################################################### DEPARTING LOW PRESSURE WILL KP A TIGHT GRADIENT OVER FA TODAY. WINDS WILL BE JUST UNDER ADVISORY CRITERIA. SNOW FLURRIES POSSIBLE NORTHWEST ZONES OTHERWISE A GENERALLY DRY FORECAST AS WEAK RIPPLES MOVE ACROSS TO OUR NORTH IN A FAST ZONAL FLOW. TEMPERATURES WILL RETURN TO MORE SEASONABLE LEVELS AFTER A BELOW NORMAL SAT. && .MARINE...WILL KEEP THE GALES HOISTED ALL ZONES. && .HYDROLOGY...IN THE WAKE OF YESTERDAYS RAINS STILL SEEING SIGNIFICANT RISES ON MANY STREAMS IN CENTRAL AND NORTHERN NEW JERSEY BUT ALL SHOULD REMAIN BELOW FLOOD STAGE. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MPO 35 24 40 28 / 30 10 10 10 ABE 43 27 48 32 / 20 10 10 10 RDG 43 26 48 32 / 20 10 10 10 PHL 45 33 50 38 / 10 10 10 10 12N 38 22 43 28 / 30 10 10 10 SMQ 45 27 50 32 / 10 10 10 10 TTN 45 30 49 35 / 10 10 10 10 MIV 48 30 52 35 / 10 10 10 10 N55 48 34 52 38 / 10 10 10 10 ACY 48 30 52 35 / 10 10 10 10 ILG 45 30 50 35 / 10 10 10 10 DOV 48 31 52 37 / 10 10 10 10 GED 48 30 52 36 / 10 10 10 10 && 10/10
DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055- 060>062-067>071-300100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 720 AM EST SAT NOV 29 2003 ...STRONG WINDS AND COLDER TEMPERATURES TODAY... LOW PRESSURE ACROSS SOUTHEAST CANADA CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN THIS MORNING. THIS WILL PRODUCE WINDY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA TODAY. SUSTAINED WINDS IN THE 20 TO 30 MPH RANGE, WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED. THESE WIND GUSTS MAY BE ENOUGH TO BRING DOWN SOME TREE BRANCHES, ESPECIALLY WITH ANY WEAKENED TREES. DOUBLE CHECK AND SECURE OUTDOOR ITEMS SUCH AS HOLIDAY DECORATIONS, TO KEEP THEM FROM BLOWING AROUND. USE CAUTION TODAY IF TRAVELING, ESPECIALLY IF DRIVING A HIGH PROFILE VEHICLE OR ON BRIDGES OR OVERPASSES. ALONG WITH THE STRONG WINDS TODAY, MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES HAVE SETTLED IN. THESE CHILLY TEMPERATURES COMBINED WITH THE WIND, WILL PRODUCE WIND CHILL VALUES IN THE 20S AND 30S FOR MOST AREAS. SOME SNOW SHOWERS AND FLURRIES ARE POSSIBLE FROM TIME TO TIME TODAY ACROSS THE POCONOS, NORTHWEST NEW JERSEY AND PARTS OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY WITH LITTLE OR NO SNOW ACCUMULATION. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION. FOR COMPLETE WEATHER INFORMATION, VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT: WWW.WEATHER.GOV/ER/PHI (IN LOWER CASE LETTERS). GORSE
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Delaware in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Delaware, November 2003
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: 5329145, 5329146, 5329147, 5329148.