Strong Wind — New Castle, Delaware

2008-03-08 · New Castle, Delaware

Wider weather episode

A line of severe thunderstorms that accompanied a cold frontal passage produced wind damage across northern Delaware during the late afternoon of the 8th. The combination of the severe storms and then strong winds which followed caused about 15,000 Delmarva Power and Light customers to lose power. Elsewhere in the state, there were less power outages, but strong winds caused damage in Kent County and contributed to a death in Sussex County. A 52-year-old man from Delaware Electric Cooperative died after he tried to restore power to a home in Dagsboro. In Kent County, the strong winds blew a 30 foot by 60 foot section of a roof from a barn. The walls of the barn then partially collapsed. It took until the 10th to get all power restored. The last to be restored (all in New Castle County) were Arden, Brandywine Hundred, Newark and Wilmington.

Peak wind gusts included 53 mph in Dover (Kent County), 50 mph in Blackbird (New Castle County) and 48 mph in Lewes (Sussex County). Higher wind gusts occurred in New Castle County when the line of severe storms moved through.

The strong winds were caused by the pressure difference between an intensifying low pressure system that moved through New England on the night of the 8th and a high pressure system moving northeast from the western Gulf States. The strong winds began in the warm sector preceding the cold front during the late afternoon on the 8th as well as in the northwest flow that evening.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 89830. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.