The deluge that swept through Delaware on July 31 dropped buckets of rain in some areas and modest amounts in others, with the heaviest amounts in northern New Castle County and some coastal areas in Sussex County
More than 3 inches of rain was reported at these Delaware Environmental Observing System stations:
Claymont, 3.48 inches
Hockessin, Mt. Cuba Center, 3.15 inches
Wilmington, Cherry Island, 3.05 inches
More than 2 inches of rain was reported at other locations:
Greenville, Winterthur, 2.91 inches
Wilmington, Talley, 2.62 inches
Lewes, University of Delaware campus, 2.20 inches
Wilmington, Prices Corner, 2.13 inches
Indian River Inlet, 2.08 inches
The totals showed how large differences in rainfall can occur within a few miles. For example, the Indian River Inlet station reported 2.08 inches, while the monitor at the Bethany Beach National Guard Center recorded 0.40 inches.
The Hockessin-Mt. Cuba monitor recorded 3.15 inches, while the monitor at the Hockessin Fire Company recorded 1.22 inches.
How can areas near each other have such drastic differences in rainfall?
Kevin Brinson, director of the Center for Environmental Monitoring and Analysis at the University of Delaware, explained.
“When you have the hot, humid weather pattern we've had this July, you have the ideal atmospheric setup for thunderstorms that can produce torrential downpours over very localized areas,” Brinson said. “When this happens, a location can see inches of rainfall in an hour or two, while another location just a few miles away gets very little rain.”
These differences are normal in the summertime.
“It was just a little more pronounced this July because of how stormy it was this month,” Brinson said.
More weather news: Temperatures drop into 70s as heat, storms pass in Delaware. See weekend weather forecast
Rainfall in some places on July 31 neared the average for the entire month
Some areas in Delaware received nearly as much rainfall on July 31 as the average for the whole month.
Here is the average rainfall in July, according to the U.S. Climate Data website:
Wilmington, 4.57 inches
Dover, 4.09 inches
Georgetown, 3.46 inches
The rainfall totals for July were above the highest average – Wilmington’s 4.57 inches – at all of the Delaware Environmental Observing System stations throughout the state.
What area in Delaware had the most rainfall in July?
Claymont had the highest rainfall total in Delaware in July at 11.37 inches.
Here are the totals for the month and just for the July 31 storm at the Delaware Environmental Observing System stations throughout the state:
Bethany Beach boardwalk, 9.86 inches in July; 0.52 inches on July 31
Bethany Beach, National Guard Center, 9.25 inches in July; 0.40 inches on July 31
Blackbird, between Smyrna and Townsend, 6.57 inches in July; 1.06 inches on July 31
Bridgeville, 7.01 inches in July; 0.61 inches on July 31
Claymont, 11.37 inches in July; 3.48 inches on July 31
Dagsboro, 8.12 inches in July; 0.57 inches on July 31
Delmar, 7.11 inches in July; 0.63 inches on July 31
Dover, near Department of Motor Vehicles, 8.71 inches; 0.90 inches on July 31
Dover, near Delaware Fire School, 6.95 inches in July; 1.54 inches on July 31
Ellendale, 7.20 inches in July; 0.91 inches on July 31
Frederica, 5.87 inches in July; 0.41 inches on July 31
Georgetown, 7.20 inches in July; 1.58 inches on July 31
Glasgow, 6.26 inches in July; 0.90 inches on July 31
Greenville, Winterthur, 10.16 inches in July; 2.91 inches on July 31,
Harbeson, 6.63 inches in July; 1.77 inches on July 31
Harrington, 6.28 inches in July; 0.56 inches on July 31
Hockessin, Mt. Cuba, 10.25 inches in July; 3.15 inches on July 31
Hockessin Fire Company, incomplete data for July; 1.22 inches on July 31
Indian River Inlet, 5.54 inches in July; 2.08 inches on July 31
Kenton, incomplete data for July; 1.37 inches on July 31
Kitts Hummock, 7.07 inches in July; 1.01 inches on July 31
Laurel, 6.13 inches in July; 1.02 inches on July 31
Lewes, Nassau, 5.97 inches in July; 1.88 inches on July 31
Lewes, University of Delaware campus, 7.94 inches in July; 2.20 inches on July 31
Rainy day ideas: Raining at the Delaware beaches? Shopping, shows, treats will keep you busy
Milford, 4.84 inches in July; 0.27 inches on July 31
New Castle, 5.82 inches; 1.00 inches on July 31
Newark, University of Delaware farm, 4.61 inches in July; 0.45 inches on July 31
Newark, White Clay Creek, 6.57 inches in July; 1.97 inches on July 31
Port Penn, 4.93 inches in July; 1.08 inches on July 31
Prime Hook, 7.33 in July; 1.41 inches on July 31
Rehoboth Beach boardwalk, 4.92 inches in July; 1.50 inches on July 31
Sandtown, 7.48 inches in July; 1.09 inches on July 31
Seaford, 8.28 inches in July; 0.64 inches on July 31
Slaughter Beach, incomplete data for July; 0.89 inches on July 31
Smyrna, 7.34 inches in July; 1.50 inches on July 31
Stockley, Delaware Health and Social Services, 7.14 inches in July; 1.91 inches on July 31
Townsend, incomplete data for July; 0.76 inches on July 31
Wilmington, Cherry Island, 9.39 inches in July; 3.05 inches on July 31
Wilmington, Prices Corner, 9.46 inches in July; 2.13 inches on July 31
Wilmington, Talley, 11.16 inches in July; 2.62 inches on July 31
Woodside, 10.67 inches in July; 1.72 inches on July 31.
Reach reporter Ben Mace at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: How much rain did Delaware communities get in July? See the totals
Comments