Coastal Flood in Delaware, January 31, 2006

The combination of spring tides coming off the recent new moon and a rapidly intensifying low pressure system that passed east of Delaware on the 31st produced a strong onshore flow and widespread minor tidal flooding during the daytime high tide along the ocean shore as well as in Delaware Bay and along the Delaware River. The highest tides occurred during the morning along the ocean and the spread up Delaware Bay around noon EST and into the Delaware River and tidal sections of its tributaries during the first half of the afternoon. The tide reached 7.1 feet above mean lower low water at Breakwater Harbor (Sussex County). Minor tidal flooding begins at 6.7 feet above mean lower low water. The tide reached 7.44 feet above mean lower low water at Reedy Island (New Castle County). Minor tidal flooding starts at 7.2 feet above mean lower low water. The low pressure system that caused the minor tidal flooding formed along the Virginia coast during the early morning on the 31st. By 7 a.m. EST on the 31st it had deepened to a 995 millibar low pressure system. It then moved slowly northeast as it intensified. At 1 p.m. EST that afternoon it had deepened to 990 millibars and was located about 200 miles east of the Delaware coast and at 7 p.m. EST that evening, it had deepened to 976 millibars, but was already about 200 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. This made it only a one high tide cycle event.