Delaware, 2003
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 2003 was 179 against 180 in 2002.
Counties with the most recorded events
| County | Events in 2003 |
|---|---|
| New Castle County | 54 |
| Kent County | 47 |
| Sussex County | 23 |
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Sep 2003 | New Castle | Flash Flood | — | $16,100,000 | — | 1 |
| 13 Nov 2003 | New Castle | High Wind | 59 mph | $430,000 | — | 1 |
| 18 Sep 2003 | New Castle | High Wind | 58 mph | $9,500,000 | — | — |
| 18 Sep 2003 | Kent | Tropical Storm | — | $8,500,000 | — | — |
| 18 Sep 2003 | Forecast zone | Tropical Storm | — | $8,000,000 | — | — |
| 16 Feb 2003 | Forecast zone | Winter Storm | — | $1,300,000 | — | — |
| 16 Feb 2003 | Kent | Winter Storm | — | $1,300,000 | — | — |
| 16 Feb 2003 | New Castle | Winter Storm | — | $1,300,000 | — | — |
| 18 Sep 2003 | Forecast zone | Tropical Storm | — | $1,250,000 | — | — |
| 30 Aug 2003 | Sussex | Lightning | — | $800,000 | — | — |
| 17 Feb 2003 | Forecast zone | Storm Surge/Tide | — | $750,000 | — | — |
| 16 Feb 2003 | Forecast zone | Winter Storm | — | $500,000 | — | — |
| 17 Feb 2003 | Forecast zone | Storm Surge/Tide | — | $250,000 | — | — |
| 9 Jul 2003 | New Castle | Lightning | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 28 Aug 2003 | Sussex | Lightning | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 21 Jun 2003 | Kent | Lightning | — | $80,000 | — | — |
| 17 Feb 2003 | Forecast zone | Strong Wind | 48 mph | $50,000 | — | — |
| 17 Feb 2003 | Forecast zone | Strong Wind | 46 mph | $50,000 | — | — |
| 13 Jun 2003 | New Castle | Lightning | — | $50,000 | — | — |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 2003
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Sep 2003 | DR-1495 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Henri | 1 |
| 20 Sep 2003 | DR-1494 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Isabel | 3 |
| 20 Mar 2003 | EM-3183 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Snow | 3 |
Flood insurance claims with a 2003 date of loss
313 NFIP claims, 252 of them paid, for $18,274,716.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (29 Sep 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 30 Sep 2026.