The storm made landfall just after 7 p.m. All of New Castle County and Delaware were already bracing for the remnants of then-Tropical Storm Debby, which swept up the East Coast on Thursday.
The EF1 tornado formed over Marshallton, a coil with peak winds estimated at 95 mph, according to a preliminary report released Saturday morning by the National Weather Service. After initially touching down just south of Acme, the cyclone trailed damage northward for another 1.13 miles — breaking windows, knocking down fences and toppling trees.
The wind funnel reached a maximum width of about 150 yards during its travel, the weather service said. No injuries were reported, and preliminary reports, supported by spotters, said debris was “thrown into the air.” Damage to buildings and homes was reported.
According to meteorologists, the final EF1 rating equates to a “moderate” impact, while a maximum EF5 rating would mean “incredible” damage to communities, or wind speeds of more than 410 km/h.
Thursday’s tornado was the first to touch down on state land this year.
But Delaware is no stranger to such whirlwinds. Most are rated EF0 or EF1.
Listen to the residents’ opinions: They were in cars, houses and Acme. Residents describe Thursday’s tornado in Delaware
21-Mile Trail? A Look Back at Delaware Tornadoes
According to a Delaware Online/The News Journal database, which compiles data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the First State has experienced about 78 tornadoes since 1950.
Only two of those tornadoes have resulted in direct fatalities, according to the database. Last year, a 78-year-old man was killed in his home in Greenwood, Sussex County, and in 1983, two people were killed near Hartly, Kent County. Total property damage in the state in April was nearly $13.4 million. That figure does not include damage sustained in the past five years.
The year 2020 stands out for six tornadoes, tying 1992 for the most in a single year. All of those formations came in the same four-day period in August.
That was when Tropical Storm Isaias brought strong winds, heavy rains, multiple tornadoes and coastal flooding to the entire Mid-Atlantic, making it the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit the region since Sandy in 2012, the database said.
One EF2 tornado alone, which caused “significant” damage, left a path nearly 21 miles long, reached 500 feet at its maximum width, and had peak winds of 115 mph.
That cyclone tore through New Castle County after 8 a.m., nearly paralleling Routes 1 and 13 on the east side of Townsend and Middletown. Trees were snapped. Roofs were damaged. Several garage doors were blown off; another garage was destroyed on Blackbird Landing Road. Homes in Middletown were damaged, with walls blown off or trees struck.
A History of Tornadoes: Tornadoes in Delaware since 1950
There was an even more severe tornado last year.
It touched down near Bridgeville in the evening on April 1, 2023, before killing a 78-year-old Greenwood man. The tornado caused extensive damage along its 14-mile path, raging with 98 mph winds about 10 feet off the ground. Power poles were snapped, siding and roofs were ripped away, parked semi-trailers were blown across a driveway, and much more damage was reported in Sussex County.
This article originally appeared in the Delaware News Journal: What was the assessment of the tornado in Debby remnants in New Castle County?
