Delaware Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Delaware is lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Delaware is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #8
| Delaware | 1.54 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #14
| Delaware | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #28
| Delaware | 107.77 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 1,677 other weather extremes events from 1950 to 2010 were recorded in Delaware. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 2 | Cold: | 21 | Dense Fog: | 32 | Drought: | 52 |
| Dust Storm: | 1 | Flood: | 240 | Hail: | 87 | Heat: | 70 | Heavy Snow: | 43 |
| High Surf: | 37 | Hurricane: | 1 | Ice Storm: | 1 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 177 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 465 | Tropical Storm: | 3 | Wildfire: | 11 | Winter Storm: | 34 | Winter Weather: | 88 |
| Other: | 312 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Delaware.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in Delaware.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Delaware.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 12 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in Delaware.
| Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County | |
| 1961-04-28 | 3 | 39°40'N / 75°34'W | 0.30 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | New Castle | ||
| 1954-07-01 | 2 | 39°27'N / 75°44'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | New Castle | ||
| 1955-08-12 | 2 | 38°32'N / 75°04'W | 38°33'N / 75°01'W | 2.70 Miles | 133 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Sussex | |
| 1967-01-27 | 2 | 39°01'N / 75°35'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 7 | 250K | 0 | Kent | ||
| 1977-06-09 | 2 | 39°02'N / 75°28'W | 0.20 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Kent | ||
| 1979-09-05 | 2 | 39°47'N / 75°29'W | 2.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | New Castle | ||
| 1983-07-21 | 2 | 39°10'N / 75°43'W | 1.00 Mile | 20 Yards | 2 | 9 | 250K | 0 | Kent | ||
| 1984-07-18 | 2 | 38°48'N / 75°35'W | 1.50 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sussex | ||
| 1989-06-09 | 2 | 39°47'N / 75°41'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | New Castle | ||
| 1990-10-18 | 2 | 39°47'N / 75°35'W | 1.00 Mile | 430 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | New Castle | ||
| 1992-07-31 | 2 | 39°01'N / 75°31'W | 39°02'N / 75°26'W | 4.00 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kent | |
| 2004-09-28 | 2 | 39°41'N / 75°36'W | 39°44'N / 75°35'W | 5.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 0 | New Castle | |
| Brief Description: An F2 (on the Fujita scale) tornado touched down in northern New Castle County with maximum winds estimated at 130 mph. The path length was 5.0 miles long with a maximum path width of 150 yards. The tornado touched down near and was observed at the New Castle County Airport. The northern end of the tornado track was in Elsmere. Significant damage did occur along the path of this tornado, particularly to some of the planes at the airport and industrial buildings near the airport. In addition, five persons were injured. The tornado damaged five C-130 cargo planes at the New Castle County Airport, caused thousands of pounds of jet fuel to spill and damaged hangers. It tore through the Newport Industrial Park along Delaware State Route 141. It tossed long strips of metal siding into the air and onto roads. Windows were shattered, walls peeled away and trees and light poles were snapped. The roof and whole side of the United Electric Supply building was torn away. Delaware State Route 141 and some nearby side streets were closed. Gas service was shut off to prevent explosions. On Bellecor Drive, a self-storage facility suffered major damage. One man at the business was injured after he was trapped under a fallen refrigerator. Three people were injured at the airport itself. A man in Elsmere was hit by a fallen tree limb. The tornado also caused damaged to homes in Wilmington Manor and Chelsea Estates near the airport. In Elsmere, the tornado tore shingles and vent covers from the Corpus Christi Elementary School. The ensuing heavy rain damaged the gymnasium. In the Red Clay Consolidated School District, the tornado also caused minor damage to the Richardson Park Elementary School. | |||||||||||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.