Hurricane History Map

Hurricanes that hit Delaware: hurricane history

41 storms have passed within 50 km of Delaware from 1856 to 2021, drawn on the map and coloured by intensity.

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Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near Delaware

The record holds 41 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Delaware between 1856 and 2021. The busiest month is September, with 15 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 2 strength. 1 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 41storms within 50 km
  • 0major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 5at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near Delaware?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression512%
Tropical storm3073%
Category 1410%
Category 212%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity12%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the NOAA National Hurricane Center (HURDAT2, Atlantic).

Delaware storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 6 in 1880s.1850s1870s1890s1910s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s

The 2020s only run to 2021, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1856, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1850s2
1860s3
1870s2
1880s6
1890s3
1900s2
1910s1
1930s1
1940s1
1950s2
1960s3
1970s2
1980s1
1990s3
2000s4
2010s2
2020s3

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 15 in Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May1Jun3Jul6Aug11Sep15Oct5Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May1
Jun3
Jul6
Aug11
Sep15
Oct5
Nov0
Dec0

Strongest storms near Delaware

  • Gloria (1985)16 September 1985 to 2 October 1985, Category 2 (90 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 920 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1894 (North Atlantic)26 September 1894 to 12 October 1894, Category 1 (75 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (105 kt)
  • Unnamed storm of September 1903 (North Atlantic)12 September 1903 to 17 September 1903, Category 1 (75 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (85 kt), 990 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1859 (North Atlantic)9 September 1859 to 22 September 1859, peak Category 1 (70 kt)
  • Irene (2011)21 August 2011 to 30 August 2011, Category 1 (65 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 942 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1861 (North Atlantic)27 September 1861 to 28 September 1861, Tropical storm (60 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (70 kt)

Most recent storms near Delaware

  • Elsa (2021)30 June 2021 to 10 July 2021, Tropical storm (50 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (75 kt), 991 hPa
  • Isaias (2020)28 July 2020 to 5 August 2020, Tropical storm (60 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (80 kt), 986 hPa
  • Fay (2020)5 July 2020 to 11 July 2020, peak Tropical storm (50 kt), 998 hPa
  • Ana (2015)6 May 2015 to 12 May 2015, Tropical depression (30 kt) near here, peak Tropical storm (50 kt), 998 hPa
  • Irene (2011)21 August 2011 to 30 August 2011, Category 1 (65 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 942 hPa

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

Notable storms near Delaware with their own pages

  • Gloria (1985)16 September 1985 to 2 October 1985, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 920 hPa
  • Irene (2011)21 August 2011 to 30 August 2011, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 942 hPa
  • Bertha (1996)5 July 1996 to 17 July 1996, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 960 hPa
  • Floyd (1999)7 September 1999 to 19 September 1999, peak Category 4 (135 kt), 921 hPa
  • Allison (2001)5 June 2001 to 19 June 2001, peak Tropical storm (50 kt), 1,000 hPa
  • Ivan (2004)2 September 2004 to 24 September 2004, peak Category 5 (145 kt), 910 hPa

Delaware counties

Every county that a storm has come near is listed, most storms first. 3 of them have at least 3 storms and their own page.

CountyStormsStrongest near the county
Sussex County35Category 2
Kent County19Tropical storm
New Castle County14Category 1

Other states

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