Tornadoes · United States · Delaware

Tornadoes in New Castle County, Delaware

28 tornadoes have crossed New Castle County since 1950, 3rd of the 3 counties in Delaware with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.7 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 38. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
28
Deaths
0
Injuries
38
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, April 28, 1961

The strongest

  1. F3, New Castle County, DelawareApril 28, 1961F3, 0.3 mi (0 km)
  2. EF2, Kent and New Castle counties, DelawareAugust 4, 2020EF2, 35.8 mi (58 km)
  3. F2, New Castle County, DelawareSeptember 27, 1993F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  4. F2, New Castle County, DelawareSeptember 28, 2004F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  5. F2, New Castle County, DelawareSeptember 5, 1979F2, 2.5 mi (4 km)
  6. F2, New Castle County, DelawareJune 9, 1989F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  7. F2, New Castle County, DelawareOctober 18, 1990F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  8. F2, New Castle County, DelawareJuly 1, 1954F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in New Castle County. Each year links to every tornado in Delaware that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241EF1
20231EF1
20202EF2
20151EF0
20131EF0
20041F2
19951F0
19932F2
19901F2
198922F2
1988230F1
197925F2
19771F1
197611F1
19751F0
19731F0
19673F1
19621F1
19611F3
19581F0
19541F2

Every tornado that crossed New Castle County

28 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 8, 20247:11 PM EDTEF1New Castle1.1150
July 9, 20234:49 PM EDTEF1New Castle1.2200
August 7, 20205:40 PM EDTEF1New Castle4.2450
August 4, 20208:55 AM EDTEF2Kent35.8500
July 9, 20157:50 PM EDTEF0New Castle0.575$200,000
June 10, 20134:47 PM EDTEF0New Castle0.9150
September 28, 20044:14 PM EDTF2New Castle5.0150$1.0 million
May 25, 19957:00 PM EDTF0New Castle0.217
September 27, 19932:00 PM EDTF1New Castle7.050$5,000 to $50,000
September 27, 19931:35 PM EDTF2New Castle10.0100$5,000 to $50,000
October 18, 19905:00 PM EDTF2New Castle1.0430$50,000 to $500,000
November 16, 19899:30 AM ESTF1New Castle1.0171$50,000 to $500,000
June 9, 19896:10 PM EDTF2New Castle2.01001$500,000 to $5 million
July 21, 19886:45 PM EDTF0New Castle0.220
June 7, 19882:10 PM EDTF1New Castle23.010030$500,000 to $5 million
September 5, 19799:45 PM EDTF2New Castle2.52005$50,000 to $500,000
August 10, 19799:30 PM EDTF1New Castle2.0100$50,000 to $500,000
August 10, 19776:30 PM EDTF1New Castle1.027$500 to $5,000
March 21, 19762:00 PM ESTF1New Castle0.1101$50,000 to $500,000
July 14, 19758:40 AM EDTF0New Castle0.110
June 28, 19732:50 PM EDTF0New Castle0.110
October 18, 19677:15 PM GMT-4F1New Castle0.317$50 to $500
October 18, 19676:15 PM GMT-4F1New Castle0.317$500 to $5,000
August 27, 19673:30 PM GMT-4F0New Castle0.550$500 to $5,000
July 21, 19624:00 PM GMT-4F1New Castle1.2100$5,000 to $50,000
April 28, 19614:45 PM GMT-5F3New Castle0.330$5,000 to $50,000
July 14, 19581:30 PM GMT-4F0New Castle2.0150$500 to $5,000
July 1, 19546:00 PM GMT-4F2New Castle1.050$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in New Castle CountyThe forecast for New Castle CountyThe live radar over New Castle CountyEvery county in Delaware

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.