He landed just after 7pm. All of New Castle County and Delaware were already bracing for the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby to hit the East Coast on Thursday.
The EF1 tornado took shape over Marshallton, with peak winds estimated at 95 mph, according to the preliminary report released Saturday morning by the National Weather Service. After initially hitting just south of Acme, the cyclone dragged a path of damage northward for another 1.13 miles — shattering windows, toppling fences and toppling trees in its wake.
The wind funnel reached a maximum width of about 500 feet on its journey, according to the weather service. No injuries were reported and preliminary reports aided by observers noted debris “lifted into the air”. Damage to buildings and homes was reported.
Its final EF1 rating corresponds to a “moderate” impact, according to meteorologists, while a maximum EF5 would mean “incredible” damage to communities, or winds exceeding 420 km/h.
Thursday’s tornado was the first to touch state land this year.
But Delaware is no stranger to these whirlwinds. Most were classified as EF0 or EF1.
Listen to the residents: They were in cars, houses and Acme. Residents describe Thursday’s tornado in Delaware
21 mile path? Looking back at the tornadoes in Delaware
The First State faced about 78 tornadoes since 1950, according to a Delaware Online/The News Journal database that aggregates data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports.
Only two of those twisters led to direct deaths, according to the database. A 78-year-old man was killed last year in his home in Greenwood, Sussex County, and two people were killed near Hartly, Kent County, in 1983. Property damage totaled nearly $13.4 million in across the state in April. This number does not include damage suffered in the last five years.
The year 2020 stands out with six tornadoes, tied with 1992 for the most in one year. All of these formations occurred over the same four-day period that August.
It was then that Tropical Storm Isaias brought strong winds, heavy rain, several tornadoes and coastal flooding to the entire Mid-Atlantic – becoming the most impactful tropical cyclone to hit the region since Sandy in 2012, according to the database.
Only one EF2 tornado, causing “significant” damage, cut a path nearly 21 miles long. It reached 500 feet at its maximum width, with maximum winds of 115 mph.
This cyclone made landfall in New Castle County after 8 a.m., continuing roughly parallel to Routes 1 and 13 on the east sides of Townsend and Middletown. Trees were broken. Roofs were damaged. Several garage doors were destroyed; another garage was destroyed on Blackbird Landing Road. Homes in Middletown suffered damage, with walls ripped out or trees being impacted.
A story of twisters: Tornadoes in Delaware since 1950
A stronger tornado occurred last year.
It landed at night near Bridgeville on April 1, 2023, before killing the 78-year-old Greenwood man. The twister caused severe damage along its 22-kilometer path, advancing with peak winds recorded in Wind gusts of 98 mph about 10 feet off the ground. Utility poles were broken, walls and roofs torn off, parked semi-trailers were tipped into a driveway, among many other damages reported in Sussex County.
This article originally appeared in the Delaware News Journal: What was the New Castle County tornado rating in Debby’s remnants?
