Storms sweep state; lightning hits Hockessin home

Hockessin and Elsmere firefighters responded after lightning struck a home in the 300 block of Deergrass Road in the Bonayre development in Hockessin. (Photo: Delaware Free News)
Hockessin and Elsmere firefighters responded after lightning struck a home in the 300 block of Deergrass Road in the Bonayre development in Hockessin. (Photo: Delaware Free News)
Crash on Walther Road happened as cars were trying to avoid flooded roadway near U.S. 40 in Bear. (Reader-submitted photo courtesy Jennifer Jankowski)
Crash on Walther Road happened as cars were trying to avoid flooded roadway near U.S. 40 in Bear. (Reader-submitted photo courtesy Jennifer Jankowski)

DELAWARE (7/28/2016) A series of thunderstorms swept across Delaware this afternoon with wind peaking over 60 mph, toppling trees, bringing power outages and stranding some vehicles in high water. Heavy rain is expected to continue this evening, with a flash flood watch in effect statewide until midnight.

At 5:40 p.m., Delmarva Power reported about 5,400 customers without electricity. About 1,800 were in New Castle County and 3,200 in Kent County. Some are not expected to have service restored until Friday morning.

The Delaware Electric Cooperative had about 1,100 members without electric power in Kent and Sussex counties.

In Hockessin, an attic fire was reported at a home in the 300 block of Deergrass Road in the Bonayre development.

Vehicles were reported stuck in high water in the area of Water Street and Governors Avenue in Dover.

And a tree was blocking traffic on College Avenue in Dover near Kenton and McKee roads, according to reports from the area. The traffic light was out at Walker and Kenton roads.

Numerous accidents were reported across the state as heavy rain limited visibility.

More than 2 inches of rain was measured at Glasgow, according to the Delaware Environmental Observing System.

A wind gust of 63 mph was measured at Dover Air Force Base at 5:26 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.