Delaware has faced a snowy winter with multiple major winter storms hitting the state.

While the winter has been volatile, spring might be a little less so. AccuWeather is predicting fewer tornadoes in the United States this spring, but there’s still the possibility of strong storms and flooding throughout the country.

A fast exit from La Niña could result in a weaker upper-level jet stream overall this spring, AccuWeather predicted. This situation reduces the conditions that produce tornadoes. However, the conditions support lines of thunderstorm capable of producing damaging winds and repeated rounds of flooding down.

“There may be fewer tornadoes reported compared to last year, but that does not mean this will be a quiet severe weather season,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex Duffus said in a new release. “There is an increased likelihood of severe thunderstorms packing damaging wind gusts and heavy downpours. Flash flooding is a big concern this year.”

According to AccuWeather, the peak time Delaware will see severe weather will be in May.

Are there tornadoes in Delaware?

Advertisement

Funnel cloud over Frankford, Delaware, June 30, 2025

The National Weather Service did not confirm a tornado touched town.

While tornadoes in Delaware are rare, they do happen. Last year, there were two confirmed tornadoes in Delaware – one near Bethel and the other near Frankford.

Since 1954, there have been 80 tornadoes in the First State, leading to 78 injuries and three deaths.

The busiest tornado seasons were in 2020 and 1992 when six tornadoes hit the state. The early 1990s saw an increase in tornadic activity as 17 tornadoes hit the state between 1992 and 1995.

National Weather Service Delaware spring forecast

The National Weather Service is predicting equal chances that Delaware will either have above normal or below normal temperatures during the spring. The Maryland and Virginia portion of the Delmarva peninsula has a 33% to 40% chance of seeing a warmer than average spring.

In terms of precipitation, Delaware has an equal chance of having above normal or below normal temperatures during the spring.

Spring forecast: Spring 2026 starts soon; What Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts

What’s the difference between a watch, warning and emergency?

With spring quickly approaching, it’s a good time to brush up on spring weather terms. According to the National Weather Service, these are some of the different alerts.

• Severe thunderstorm watch: A watch means thunderstorms are possible in the area. Watch areas are generally large. People in the areas should pay attention to weather reports and changing conditions.
• Severe thunderstorm warning: A severe thunderstorm has been spotted in your area or is tracking toward your area. People should take shelter and pay attention to weather reports and changing conditions.
• Tornado watch: A watch means tornadoes are possible in the area. The areas are generally very large. When a watch is issued, it means it’s time to prepare for a potential storm and keep an eye on weather reports in case conditions change.
• Tornado warning: A funnel cloud or tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. You should seek shelter. Move to an interior room of your home on the lowest floor and avoid areas with windows. If in a mobile home, a vehicle or outdoors, move to a shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.
• Tornado emergency: A tornado emergency is the National Weather Service’s highest alert level and is issued when a violent tornado has touched down in the watch area. The tornado is a severe threat to human life and property, with catastrophic damage confirmed. Immediately seek refuge in the safest location possible.

What are journalists missing from the state of Delaware? What would you most like WHYY News to cover? Let us know.

Delaware Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester is using her plus-one to Tuesday night’s State of the Union address to highlight her opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Immigration advocate Maria Mesias-Tatnall is Blunt Rochester’s guest to the president’s speech. As director of outreach and immigration assistance at the Delaware Department of Justice, she was key to negotiating the release of a Delaware mother of two from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention.

The Democratic U.S. senator said Delaware residents suspected of being undocumented are being subjected to harsh enforcement actions, similar to reports out of other states around the country.

“What we wanted to highlight at the State of the Union was that a year later, things are not better,” Blunt Rochester said. “They’re not better as it pertains to costs for people and as it pertains to the fear that it is created in communities where even our local law enforcement have had to feel an erosion of trust.”

Mesias-Tatnall told reporters Tuesday about the attempted deportation of Sussex County resident Isabella, who was detained by ICE last year. Isabella is a nickname to protect her identity.

Isabella, a domestic violence survivor, has requested legal status through a U visa. It is set aside for victims of certain crimes, such as domestic violence and sexual assault, who are helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.

Isabella’s ex-husband stabbed her in 2019. She helped police catch him and deport him back to Central America and has been granted temporary legal status in the U.S.

But last year, Mesias-Tatnall said ICE agents broke down Isabella’s door without a judicial warrant and detained her and her brother. Isabella was flown to Louisiana.

“For about a month, Isabella is left on an inch-thick mattress in cells where the detainees were mistreated with a level of evilness and cruelty that is uncool and unjustified,” Mesias-Tatnall said.

Isabella was set to be deported back to her native country, where her abuser could have been waiting to greet her. But with help from Mesias-Tatnall and the Community Legal Aid Society, Inc., Delaware Department of Justice attorneys convinced federal agents to release her. She is now back in Delaware with her children after Mesias-Tatnall flew to Louisiana to pick her up. But she said the family is still coping with the trauma.

“How do you tell children, ‘That’s not going to happen’ or ‘That’s not going to happen again’ — because it can happen,” Mesias-Tatnall said. “It can happen to any of us.”

The snow is melting fast in Sussex, but the damage is done, with fallen trees blocking many roadways.

Some areas of Delaware’s southern-most county saw up to 19 inches of snow Feb. 22 and 23. The weight of the snow, combined with high winds, proved more than many trees could handle.

The Delaware Department of Transportation is responsible for trees on roadways, and the agency knew of about 400 of them in Sussex Feb. 23, spokesman C.R. McLeod said. By the next day, the number was down to 300.

If trees fall across wires or into utility poles, DelDOT can’t remove them until the lines have been deenergized, McLeod said.

“This work will continue for at least the next several days,” he said.

McLeod also stressed that DelDOT is not responsible for fallen trees on private property.

Weather: More snow in Delaware’s forecast, but a weekend thaw is coming

If you’re concerned about a fallen tree on a roadway, you can check DelDOT’s real-time map to see if the agency is aware. If the tree is not marked, you can report it by calling the Transportation Management Center at #77 or emailing DOTpublic@deldot.gov.

Reach Shannon Marvel McNaught at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Facebook.