DELAWARE (6/21/2016) Severe thunderstorms hit the state this afternoon, dumping more than an inch an hour of rain in spots and toppling trees and power lines. Hundreds of electric outages have been reported.
The National Weather Service said a funnel-like cloud with wind gusts in advance of half-inch hail was reported at 4:50 p.m. northeast of Smyrna.
The service issued a severe thunderstorm watch statewide until 9 p.m. A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Kent, southern New Castle and northwestern Sussex counties until 7:30 p.m., with wind gusts to 60 mph possible, the service said.
Delmarva Power reported at 3:50 p.m. that more than 600 customers were without electric service in Delaware, and another 3,000 were out in Kent and Queen Anne’s counties on the Maryland Eastern Shore. Most had power restored by 6:30 p.m. but others in Sussex County lost service when another line of storms hit.
Delaware Electric Cooperative reported more than 1,100 customers were without service at 3:50 p.m. Most were in the Greenwood, Farmington and Bridgeville areas. Most had service restored by 6:30 p.m.
The weather service said trees and wires were down in Georgetown. Just outside town, wind gusted to 46 mph at Sussex County Airport at 2:52 p.m..
A wind gust of 32.6 mph was recorded at Bridgeville shortly before 4 p.m., according to DEOS.
At the Blackiston weather station near Kenton, 1.35 inches of rain was measured in an hour, with a 24-hour total of 1.7 inches, according to the Delaware Environmental Observing Service.
The service said 1.75 inch hail was measured in Betterton, Maryland.
In Villas, New Jersey, near Cape May, a house had its windows blown out and large branches were down, the service said. Two power poles snapped in half on East Delaware Parkway and roof damage was reported on a house near Pacific Avenue.