The record
Everything the slot carries, as measured. Series arrays are drawn above and listed here in full.
| event_type | Heavy Rain |
|---|---|
| ncei_event_id | 5,631,964 |
| episode_id | 2,074,358 |
| begin_utc | 1998-02-04T15:00:00+00:00 |
| end_utc | 1998-02-05T06:00:00+00:00 |
| state | DELAWARE |
| cz_type | C |
| cz_name | KENT |
| deaths_direct | 0 |
| deaths_indirect | 0 |
| injuries_direct | 0 |
| injuries_indirect | 0 |
| episode_narrative | The strongest northeaster of the winter battered Kent and Sussex Counties with damaging winds, severe coastal flooding, extensive beach erosion, several dune breaches and heavy rain. A state of emergency was declared for all or parts of Sussex County from 7 a.m. EST on the 5th through 7 p.m. EST on the 7th. The county was declared a disaster area. Damage was estimated at about 1.7 million dollars and was the worst storm to affect the area since January 1992. Hardest hit communities included North Shore and South Bethany on the ocean side, Broadkill Beach on Delaware Bay and Long Neck in the back bay. About 3,000 persons evacuated including most of the permanent residents of Dewey Beach. Shelters were opened at the Henlopen High School in Lewes and the Indian River High School in Frankford, but most persons stayed with friends and relatives. Aside from several cases of hypothermia from evacuations in the Long Neck area., no serious injuries were reported. The strongest wind gusts reached 81 mph at the Pilot Tower in Cape Henlopen. About 7,000 homes and businesses lost power, mostly on the 4th. Major roadways were closed for several days including Delaware State Routes 1, 16, 23, 26 and 54 and Sussex County Route 360. The heaviest rain reported was 5.2 inches in Delmar. Tidal departures reached between 4 and 5 feet above normal during the height of the storm in the afternoon of the 4th and morning of the 5th. The early morning high tide on the 5th contained the highest tides. At Lewes the high tide was 8.6 feet above mean low water, a departure of about 4.5 feet above normal. The extensive flooding and erosion forced the closure of all three state parks along the shore and unearthed relics. About 1,000 acres of farmland were also damaged by salt infiltration.The storm system developed in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico during the night of February 1st and moved northeast. At 7 a.m. EST on the 3rd it was centered near Appalachicola, Florida and at 7 a.m. EST on the 4th it was located near Charlestown, South Carolina. From there it continued to move northeast and intensify and was just east of Cape Hatteras at 7 p.m. EST on the 4th. The strongest winds and the heaviest rain occurred from late morning on the 4th through the early morning hours on the 5th. The northeaster took a more easterly track overnight on the 4th and by 7 a.m. EST on the 5th was located about 150 miles southeast of Indian River Inlet. The storm then accelerated and was well east of the Delmarva Peninsula the morning of the 6th. A second storm developed in the Gulf of Mexico the morning of the 6th. This storm moved east and not northeast off the South Carolina coast on the 7th and 8th. This spared the region further damage, but the northeast flow around this second storm kept an onshore flow. While moderate or greater tidal flooding ended with the morning high tide on the 6th, minor tidal flooding continued through the morning high tide on the 9th.In Sussex County damage along the Delaware Bay included the following. In Slaughter Beach, the tide broke through a dune at the south end of town. Water became trapped in the marshes between Slaughter Beach and Milford making the roadway impassable to convential vehicles. The excessive rain and flooding also forced township residents to boil their tap water because of coliform bacteria contamination through Friday February 24th. The strong winds ripped shingles from houses. The tidal flooding extended inland along the Slaughter Neck Creek and the Mispillion River all the way to Milford. Flooding forced the closure of streets and businesses in downtown Milford and damaged 20 cars. Residents were evacuated from chest high water in Primehook Beach. In Broadkill Beach, thirty to forty percent of all homes in the municipality suffered either wind or tidal flooding damage. A few roofs were torn off and six homes lost their decks. Seven people had to be rescued and up to 50 feet of the beach was eroded. In Lewes, several roads, including the main road into town were closed through the 5th because of flooding from the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal. There also was a dune breach in Port Lewes. Twenty five homes suffered minor wind damage and forty street signs were damaged. In Sussex County along the Indian River and Rehoboth Bays, in Long Neck, bayside flooding extended west to Duke's Marine. Four hundred persons were evacuated along a five mile stretch from Mariner's Cove to Massey's Landing starting 3 a.m. EST on the 5th. Eighty National Guard men assisted. Fuel spills occurred as tanks filled with oil and propane tipped over in the high water. Ironically two unoccupied homes burned completely in the Pot Nets area when fire fighters could not reach them because of the 5 to 6 feet of standing water on roadways. Residents were permitted to return Saturday evening the 7th. Several evacuations also occurred in Oak Orchard.Along the Ocean side in Sussex County, North Shores and South Bethany were hit the hardest. Damage in North Shores alone was estimated at $500,000. Ocean front villas were badly damaged losing many decks. The tide ripped through the bottom floor of a group of homes. Toilets, washers, dryers, heat pumps and propane tanks were strewn in the streets. The sand blanked streets as far as 300 feet from the ocean. In Henlopen Acres, an additional 35 trees were uprooted, bringing the total to over 100 from both northeasters. In Rehoboth Beach, the waves swept under the boardwalk and eroded sand on the west side. The boardwalk was badly damaged along a one mile stretch. Eleven roads leading to the ocean were impassable. The ocean broke through at Read Street and met the bay. The rough surf and tidal flooding caused damage to the seawalls, gazebos, concrete blocks and parking areas at the Boardwalk Plaza, Henlopen Acres and the Atlantic Sands Hotel and Suites. In Dewey Beach, many of the town's 250 residents voluntarily evacuated. The dunes at the end of seven streets gave way and allowed water and debris to clog Delaware State Route 1. Read Avenue was destroyed. Along the bay side cars were submerged up to their steering wheels. The erosion exposed remnants of peat marshes. North of Indian River Inlet, a three-quarter mile stretch of dune was flattened and this left Haven Road extremely vulnerable. In Bethany Beach and North Bethany a couple of bulkhead and dune breaches occurred. In South Bethany, Ocean Drive was destroyed. Homes on the oceanfront lost steps, windows and decks for a mile long stretch. Debris clogged 1st through 9th Streets. The boardwalk was severely damaged. In Fenwick Island, a dune breach occurred east of "The Curves". Most of the town's dunes were badly damaged. The ocean met Little Assawoman Bay at the north end of town.In Kent County, tidal flooding inundated bay side homes in Woodland Beach, Port Mahon, Kitts Hummock and South Bowers. Water was still in yards even at low tide. Flooding also also reported along Delaware State Routes 6 and 9 inland.The highest reported wind gust was 81 mph at the Pilot Tower in Cape Henlopen. A gust of 66 mph was also reported from Bethany Beach. Storm rainfall totals included 5.2 inches in Delmar, 3.28 inches in Salisbury (MD), 3.05 inches in Georgetown, 2.35 inches in Greenwood and 1.74 inches at the Dover AFB. |
| year | 1,998 |
Provenance
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Storage: spine