Delaware winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 3 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 638 winter storm records in Delaware from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 23 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the February 25, 2007 winter storm in New Castle County: 2 deaths and 24 injuries across 3 records. Delaware ranks 47th of 51 states and territories by count and 6th of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Delaware, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm 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
- 6381996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 23average
- Deaths
- 9560 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $17Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 201453 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 winter storm records common in Delaware?
Delaware averages about 23 winter storm records a year since 2000, 47th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2014 (53). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Delaware records 3274 winter storm records since 1996, 6th of 50 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 winter storm records?
Per square mile, New Castle County leads Delaware: 209 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 490.2 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Sussex County has the most winter storm records (261 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 winter storm season in Delaware?
73% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (240 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 240 · Feb 225 · Mar 80 · Apr 3 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 1 · Nov 6 · Dec 83 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Delaware?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-02-25 | Winter StormNew Castle County · forecast zone New Castle One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A winter storm that featured mixed precipitation affected Delaware on the 25th. Snowfall accumulations averaged 2 to 4 inches in Kent and New Castle Counties and less than two inches in Sussex County. Ice accretions averaged a tenth of an inch or less in Kent and Sussex Counties and up to around one quarter of an inch ... | 2 | 24 | – | |
| 2010-02-09 | Winter StormNew Castle County · forecast zone New Castle One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. For the second time within a week a major winter storm, this one with blizzard conditions at times, affected the state of Delaware. Blizzard conditions occurred at times during the afternoon and early evening of the 10th. Accumulations averaged around one foot with the highest amounts in New Castle County. Ice ... | 2 | 4 | $8.5M | |
| 2012-01-21 | Winter WeatherNew Castle County · forecast zone New Castle One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A low pressure system that passed south of Delaware during the morning of the 21st brought a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain to the state. Snowfall in New Castle County averaged 1 to 3 inches and less than an inch in Kent and Sussex Counties. Ice accretions averaged around one tenth of an inch. Because ... | 1 | 11 | – | |
| 2011-01-26 | Winter StormNew Castle County · forecast zone New Castle One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A protracted winter storm with a one-two punch affected Delaware from the early morning of the 26th into the early morning of the 27th. The first phase of the storm affected mainly New Castle County, while the second phase of the storm affected all of the state. Snow and sleet accumulations averaged 1 to 4 inches in ... | 1 | 5 | – | |
| 2008-01-28 | Winter WeatherSussex County · forecast zone Inland Sussex A high pressure ridge that extended from the southeastern United States into Delaware provided the light winds and trapped low level moisture near the ground for black ice to form in Sussex County on the morning of the 28th. The black ice was a contributing factor in a fatal accident that occurred in the Harbeson area ... | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2016-01-17 | Winter WeatherKent County · forecast zone Kent Snow began during the late morning hours on January 17th and ended by late afternoon. When the snow ended, 2.0 inches was reported near Milford, 1.0 near Felton, and 0.8 near Camden. Three automobile accidents were reported as a result of slippery roads, one with injuries. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2007-02-13 | Winter StormNew Castle County · forecast zone New Castle An area of low pressure tracked across southeastern Canada during the 12th, which brought an arctic front across the Mid Atlantic region late on the 12th. As this occurred, a strong area of high pressure located across central Canada built down into the Northeast, allowing very cold air to spill southward ultimately ... | 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.
The costliest winter storm records in Delaware
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-02-09 | Winter StormNew Castle County · forecast zone New Castle One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 4 | $8.5M | |
| 2003-02-16 | Winter StormSussex County · forecast zone Inland Sussex One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $2.9M | |
| 1996-01-07 | BlizzardNew Castle County · forecast zone New Castle | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 1996-01-06 | Winter StormKent County · forecast zone Kent One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.7M | |
| 2010-02-05 | Winter StormSussex County · forecast zone Inland Sussex One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 4 | $1.4M | |
| 2009-01-27 | Winter StormNew Castle County · forecast zone New Castle One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 20 | $138K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm 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 | 48 | 32,893 | 0.15% |
| 2000s | 234 | 88,805 | 0.26% |
| 2010s | 275 | 103,626 | 0.27% |
| 2020-26 | 81 | 62,015 | 0.13% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Delaware
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-03 | Winter WeatherNew Castle County · forecast zone New Castle | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-23 | BlizzardSussex County · forecast zone Delaware Beaches | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-23 | BlizzardSussex County · forecast zone Inland Sussex | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | Winter StormKent County · forecast zone Kent | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | Winter StormNew Castle County · forecast zone New Castle | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-07 | Winter WeatherKent County · forecast zone Kent | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Winter WeatherSussex County · forecast zone Delaware Beaches | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Winter WeatherSussex County · forecast zone Inland Sussex | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Winter StormKent County · forecast zone Kent | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Winter StormNew Castle County · forecast zone New Castle | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-18 | Winter WeatherNew Castle County · forecast zone New Castle | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-26 | Winter WeatherNew Castle County · forecast zone New Castle | 0 | 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 winter storm records in Delaware
FEMA has declared 8 disasters in Delaware for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 6 were major disasters, the latest on May 29, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-29 | DR-4916 | Severe Winter Storm | 2 |
| 2016-03-16 | DR-4265 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 1 |
| 2010-03-31 | DR-1896 | Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms | 3 |
| 2003-03-20 | EM-3183 | Snow | 3 |
| 1998-02-13 | DR-1205 | Severe Winter Storms, High Winds, and Flooding | 1 |
| 1996-01-12 | DR-1082 | Blizzard of 96 (Severe Snow Storm) | 3 |
| 1994-03-16 | DR-1017 | Severe Ice Storms and Flooding | 2 |
| 1993-03-18 | EM-3111 | Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm | 3 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- New Castle County: the county's whole recordThe Delaware county with the most winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in DelawareTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Delaware1,109 records
- High wind and dust storms in Delaware722 records
- Floods in Delaware615 records