Sussex County tornado history

28 tornadoes touched Sussex County, Delaware between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.4 a year. The strongest was rated EF3 (Apr 1, 2023). Tornadoes here killed 2 and injured 26 people.

28tornadoes since 1950

EF3strongest rating

2killed · 26 injured

18 milongest path · 1984

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F011

(E)F113

(E)F23

(E)F31

(E)F40

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: August.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Apr 1, 2023	EF3	14.3 mi	700 yd	0	1
Apr 15, 2019	EF2	6.2 mi	400 yd	1	0
Aug 12, 1955	F2	2.7 mi	133 yd	1	0
Jul 18, 1984	F2	1.5 mi	80 yd	0	0
May 8, 1984	F1	18 mi	150 yd	14	1
May 8, 1984	F1	18 mi	150 yd	10	0
Aug 15, 1989	F1	12.7 mi	20 yd	0	0
Jul 5, 1957	F1	11.3 mi	100 yd	0	0
May 16, 2025	EF1	11.3 mi	600 yd	0	0
Apr 15, 2019	EF1	6.2 mi	50 yd	0	0
Jul 1, 2021	EF1	4.7 mi	100 yd	0	0
Aug 4, 2020	EF1	2.1 mi	400 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Jun 30, 2025	EF0	0.5 mi	100 yd	0	0
May 16, 2025	EF1	11.3 mi	600 yd	0	0
Sep 11, 2023	EF0	0.7 mi	370 yd	0	0
Apr 1, 2023	EF3	14.3 mi	700 yd	0	1
Jul 1, 2021	EF1	4.7 mi	100 yd	0	0
Aug 4, 2020	EF1	2.1 mi	400 yd	0	0
Apr 15, 2019	EF2	6.2 mi	400 yd	1	0
Apr 15, 2019	EF1	6.2 mi	50 yd	0	0
Jun 19, 2017	EF0	0.6 mi	200 yd	0	0
Aug 27, 2011	EF1	0.7 mi	80 yd	0	0
Aug 13, 1998	F0	0.1 mi	100 yd	0	0
Jun 26, 1995	F0	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0

Deadliest: May 8, 1984, F1, 1 killed.

Nearby counties

Wicomico County, MD11 Caroline County, MD10 Kent County, DE24 Worcester County, MD15 Cape May County, NJ11 Dorchester County, MD14 Talbot County, MD4 Cumberland County, NJ10

Questions

How many tornadoes has Sussex County, Delaware had?

28 tornadoes touched Sussex County, Delaware between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.4 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Sussex County?

The strongest rating recorded was EF3 on Apr 1, 2023, with a 14.3-mile path and 1 deaths.

When is tornado season in Sussex County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in August (7 of 28). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).