Delaware, 2004

Storm Surge in Delaware, November 13, 2004

November 13, 2004 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The combination of a high pressure system over northern New England, a low pressure system moving northeast along the Atlantic seaboard and spring tides associated with the new moon produced minor tidal flooding during the morning high tide on the 13th along the Delaware Bay side of Sussex County. Minor tidal flooding occurred along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal.

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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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.

The combination of a high pressure system over northern New England, a low pressure system moving northeast along the Atlantic seaboard and spring tides associated with the new moon produced minor tidal flooding during the morning high tide on the 13th along the Delaware Bay side of Sussex County. Minor tidal flooding occurred along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. A cold front moved through the Northeast on the 11th. A high pressure system then moved east and reached northern New England the morning of the 12th. Another high pressure system followed quickly behind and reinforced the surface flow that was in place. Meanwhile, a low pressure system formed on the old cold front in the lower Mississippi Valley during the morning of the 11th. It moved northeast and reached the southern Appalachians the morning of the 12th. It then move east to around Augusta, Georgia at 7 p.m. EST on the 12th, Norfolk Virginia at 1 a.m. EST on the 13th and just east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts at 7 a.m. EST on the 13th. The flow around these two systems maintained a northeast to north flow throughout the night of the 12th into the morning high tide.

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 Nov 12, 6:40 PM EST, 13 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 12, 6:40 PM EST, 13 hours 20 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 storm surge/tide. Local standard time, as filed.

Storm Surge/Tide, Inland Sussex

When
November 13, 8:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Inland Sussex forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Storm Surge/Tide
Water pushed ashore above the normal tide by a storm’s winds and low pressure.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Delaware in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Delaware, November 2004The 2004 hurricane season

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5425777.