Thunderstorm Wind in New Castle County, Delaware

The oppressive heat and humidity during the day on the 15th set the stage for a complex of severe thunderstorms the early morning of the 16th. A wide swath of downed trees and power lines occurred in northern parts of the county, mostly to the north of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canals. A 52-year-old male in the Limestone Hills Development of Pike Creek was killed in his sleep as the severe thunderstorm snapped a 70-foot tall tree in half plunging it into his bedroom. His wife was unharmed. About 35,000 Delmarva Power and Light customers lost power. More than 10,000 still did not have it restored Monday morning the 17th. It was the utility's worst power outage since the March snow storm of 1958. Lightning ignited a fire that badly damaged two stores in the old post office in Hockessin Corner.