Kent County, Delaware severe weather history spans 500 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #876 nationally and #3 in Delaware.
500
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
59
Direct injuries
$9.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Kent County, Delaware severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Kent County, Delaware severe weather history averages 7.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 158 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 63 events fall before 1990 and 437 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Kent County, Delaware record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.2M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Kent County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 282 | 0 | $2.3M | 96 | 1958–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 91 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Hail | 36 | 0 | $105K | 1.75 | 1968–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 30 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Tornado | 25 | 2 | $5.2M | F2 | 1964–2026 |
| Flood | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2018 |
| Lightning | 15 | 0 | $319K | 0 | 1997–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2014 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Kent County, Delaware severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
25 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-07-21 | EF2 | 2 | 9 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 35.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-01-27 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-08-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-05-22 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-07-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Kent County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 1983 | Tornado | 2 | 9 | $250K | |
| Jun 7, 1988 | Tornado | 0 | 30 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 27, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $250K | |
| Jul 27, 1994 | Tornado | Farmington | 0 | 4 | $200K |
| Apr 3, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 22, 2014 | Tornado | HAGLETTVILLE | 0 | 2 | $150K |
| Mar 16, 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | HAGLETTVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Feb 12, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | CLAYTON | 0 | 1 | $200K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Two sites along Route 13 had some wind damage. One was about 2 miles south of Felton where a warehouse lost its loading doors and sustained damage to some other doors. An empty trailer was blown off a rig which was driving south on Route 13. The second site was just west of Route 13 north of Felton where a mobile home was moved from its foundation (no tie-down) a damaged. Winds were estimated between 55 and 70 mph.
Lightning struck a Harrington home in the Farmington area on Staytonsville Road near Wolf���s Trail End Drive. The ensuing fire caused about $200,000 in damage. Four fire companies battled the blaze and the residents were evacuated without injury. One firefighter was injured battling the blaze.
Two sites along Route 13 had some wind damage. One was about 2 miles south of Felton where a warehouse lost its loading doors and sustained damage to some other doors. An empty trailer was blown off a rig which was driving south on Route 13. The second site was just west of Route 13 north of Felton where a mobile home was moved from its foundation (no tie-down) a damaged. Winds were estimated between 55 and 70 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
187,604
Population (ACS)
$317K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Oct 2, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Nov 16, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Kent County, Delaware?
500 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $9.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Kent County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 282 recorded events — 56.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Kent County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Kent County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Kent County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Kent County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kent County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 85 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Kent County, Delaware severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- New Castle County 873
- Sussex County 850
Cite this page
“Kent County, Delaware.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/delaware/kent-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.