Thunderstorm Wind in New Castle County, Delaware

The oppressive heat and humidity during the day on the 15th set the stage for a complex of severe thunderstorms the early morning of the 16th. A wide swath of downed trees and power lines occurred in northern parts of the county, mostly to the north of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canals. A 52-year-old male in the Limestone Hills Development of Pike Creek was killed in his sleep as the severe thunderstorm snapped a 70-foot tall tree in half plunging it into his bedroom. His wife was unharmed. About 35,000 Delmarva Power and Light customers lost power. More than 10,000 still did not have it restored Monday morning the 17th. It was the utility's worst power outage since the March snow storm of 1958. Lightning ignited a fire that badly damaged two stores in the old post office in Hockessin Corner.

A squall line of severe thunderstorms produced wind damage across New Castle County, with the hardest hit areas in the northern part of the county. Numerous trees were uprooted and damaged, especially Tulip Poplars. In Newark, a couple of trees fell on homes and the siding was ripped away from one apartment building. In and around Wilmington, a large tree crashed through a home in Westover Hills. The Hagley Museum and Library lost eight trees. Elsmere and Hockessin were among the communties that were hardest hit by power outages.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down numerous trees in the Hockessin, Coffee Run, Westminster, Canterbury Hills and Bella Vista areas of Mill Creek Hundred. A couple of homes and vehicles were damaged by the fallen trees. In the Westmister Development, old, massive trees were knocked down. Three homes on Ambleside Drive were so badly damaged by fallen trees that they were condemned. One garage with three Cadillacs within it was crushed on the same street. In Canterbury Hills, about fifty trees alone were knocked down and caused minor damage to homes.