Delaware rip currents and high surf
Every recorded rip current or surf record since 1996 · 3 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 124 rip current and surf records in Delaware from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 6.3 a year since 2000. The deadliest was Hurricane Katrina (September 5, 2005) in Sussex County: 1 death. Delaware ranks 10th of 34 states and territories by count and 4th of 34 per square mile.
Rip currents and high surf in Delaware, 1996 to 2026
Surf records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 1241996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 6.3average
- Deaths
- 5113 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $146Kas filed
- Busiest year
- 200918 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are rip current and surf records common in Delaware?
Delaware averages about 6.3 rip current and surf records a year since 2000, 10th of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2009 (18). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Delaware records 636 rip current and surf records since 1996, 4th of 34 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Delaware have the most rip current and surf records?
Per square mile, Sussex County leads Delaware: 64 days with a rip current or surf record since 1996, 68.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Sussex County has the most surf records (80 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the surf season in Delaware?
Delaware's rip current and surf records by month. The busiest month is February (27 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 16 · Feb 27 · Mar 5 · Apr 4 · May 2 · Jun 5 · Jul 6 · Aug 18 · Sep 15 · Oct 7 · Nov 5 · Dec 14 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest rip current and surf records in Delaware?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-09-05 | Hurricane Katrina · Rip CurrentDewey Beach, Sussex County Rip currents associated with the northeast flow around a high pressure system building into New England caused the death of a 27-year-old man in Dewey Beach. He was swimming on the unguarded beach with 3 or 4 friends off of McKinley Avenue around 645 p.m. EDT that evening when he was captured by the rip current. ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1998-08-23 | Rip CurrentLewes, Sussex County Rip currents and large waves associated with Hurricane Bonnie killed one swimmer at Rehoboth Beach and resulted in swimming restrictions up and down the Delaware Coast through the full week of August 23rd. Bonnie made her closest pass to Delaware (at tropical storm force strength) during the afternoon of the 28th when ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-09-03 | Rip CurrentSussex County · forecast zone Delaware Beaches Broadcast media reports a man went missing while swimming in Rehoboth Beach. Rip currents were the most likely cause of death. The body was found 1 day later. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2002-09-29 | Rip CurrentRehoboth Beach, Sussex County Rip currents helped claim the life of a 33-year-old man in Rehoboth Beach. The man and a friend went swimming at 1 a.m. EDT early on the 29th. The friend managed to get away from the current. The body was found at 3 a.m. EDT. Later that day a woman was rescued from the surf at 11 a.m. EDT near Stockley Street. A high ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2001-08-25 | Rip CurrentRehoboth Beach, Sussex County A strong high pressure system built into New England on the 25th and 26th. The northeast to east flow around the high and a developing low pressure system well east of Cape Hatteras produced rough surf and rip currents along the Delaware shore. A 34-year-old man drowned after going swimming in Gordons Pond State Park. ... | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
Are rip current and surf records becoming more frequent in Delaware?
Delaware's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Delaware | United States | Delaware's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 4 | 1,021 | 0.4% |
| 2000s | 63 | 4,386 | 1.4% |
| 2010s | 54 | 5,810 | 0.9% |
| 2020-26 | 3 | 2,346 | 0.1% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent rip current and surf records in Delaware
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-09-03 | Rip CurrentSussex County · forecast zone Delaware Beaches | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2017-08-23 | Astronomical Low TideSussex County · forecast zone Delaware Beaches | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2017-08-13 | Rip CurrentSussex County · forecast zone Delaware Beaches | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2016-08-27 | Rip CurrentSussex County · forecast zone Delaware Beaches | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2016-06-25 | Rip CurrentSussex County · forecast zone Delaware Beaches | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2016-06-21 | Rip CurrentSussex County · forecast zone Delaware Beaches | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2015-06-28 | Rip CurrentSussex County · forecast zone Delaware Beaches | 0 | 4 | – | |
| 2014-09-17 | Rip CurrentSussex County · forecast zone Delaware Beaches | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2009-08-21 | High SurfSussex County · forecast zone Delaware Beaches | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2008-07-11 | High SurfSussex County · forecast zone Delaware Beaches | 0 | 55 | – | |
| 2006-08-18 | High SurfSussex County · forecast zone Delaware Beaches / X E Sussex | 0 | 6 | – | |
| 2005-09-05 | Rip CurrentDewey Beach, Sussex County | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for rip current and surf records in Delaware
FEMA has declared 1 disaster in Delaware for rip current and surf, counting its incident type and declarations that name the hazard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); one was a major disaster, the latest on January 15, 1993.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-01-15 | DR-976 | Severe Coastal Storm & Flooding | 1 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Sussex County: the county's whole recordThe Delaware county with the most rip current and surf records per square mile
- Rip currents and high surf across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in DelawareTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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- High wind and dust storms in Delaware722 records
- Winter storms in Delaware638 records