Elsmere, DE tornado history
24 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of the center of Elsmere, DE from 1950 through 2025, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, ranking 2nd of 22 Delaware cities with a tornado on record. 2 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger by the National Weather Service. The most recent was on August 8, 2024 (EF1, 1.1-mile path); the strongest, on July 27, 1994, was rated F3. The deadliest, on September 5, 1979, killed 1 along its path.
Dashed circle: 10 miles from the city's Census center point. A tornado counts when its recorded path passes inside the circle. Paths run straight from start to end point, as SPC records them.
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
Every tornado within 10 miles of the center of Elsmere, DE
| Date | Rating | Path length | Deaths / injuries | Started in | Closest to center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2024 | EF1 | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 3.1 mi |
| Aug 7, 2020 | EF1 | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 3.6 mi |
| Jul 9, 2015 | EF0 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 3.1 mi |
| Jun 10, 2013 | EF0 | 0.9 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 9.0 mi |
| Aug 29, 2006 | F1 | 2.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Chester County, PA | 8.4 mi |
| Sep 28, 2004 | F2 | 5.0 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 1.0 mi |
| Jul 27, 1994 | F3 | 4.0 mi | 0 / 11 | Chester County, PA | 9.2 mi |
| Oct 18, 1990 | F2 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 3.0 mi |
| Nov 16, 1989 | F1 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 1 | New Castle County, DE | 3.5 mi |
| Jun 9, 1989 | F2 | 2.0 mi | 0 / 1 | New Castle County, DE | 5.4 mi |
| Aug 17, 1988 | F2 | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Salem County, NJ | 6.7 mi |
| Jul 21, 1988 | F0 | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 8.3 mi |
| Sep 5, 1979 | F2 | 4.1 mi | 1 / 4 | Chester County, PA → DE | 7.5 mi |
| Sep 5, 1979 | F2 | 2.5 mi | 0 / 5 | New Castle County, DE | 6.7 mi |
| Aug 10, 1977 | F1 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 6.2 mi |
| Mar 21, 1976 | F1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 | New Castle County, DE | 4.9 mi |
| Jun 28, 1973 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 7.2 mi |
| Oct 18, 1967 | F1 | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 4.0 mi |
| Oct 18, 1967 | F1 | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 8.0 mi |
| Aug 27, 1967 | F0 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 8.8 mi |
| Jul 21, 1962 | F1 | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 4.9 mi |
| Apr 28, 1961 | F3 | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 4.9 mi |
| Jul 14, 1960 | F2 | 15.6 mi | 0 / 6 | Salem County, NJ | 8.8 mi |
| Jul 14, 1958 | F0 | 2.0 mi | 0 / 0 | New Castle County, DE | 7.9 mi |
More: New Castle County tornadoes · Delaware tornado history · Elsmere hail history · Delaware damaging wind
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Severe Weather Database (SVRGIS) tornado file, 1950–2025, and SPC preliminary storm reports for 2026 (data through November 6, 2026). Ratings are the ones the National Weather Service assigned: Fujita (F) scale before Feb 1, 2007, Enhanced Fujita (EF) after. Paths are drawn as straight lines from the start to the end point SPC records; real paths curve. City and county boundaries: US Census Bureau.
NWS Damage Survey Paths Near Elsmere
The National Weather Service mapped the path of 4 tornadoes within 10 miles of Elsmere in damage surveys (1 EF1, 3 EF0). On the map, those paths follow the survey, colored by the EF rating of each stretch, instead of a straight line from start to end.
| Date | Rating | Peak wind | Path length | Max width | Deaths / injuries | On the ground | Surveyed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2024 | EF1 | 95 mph | 1.1 mi | 150 yd | 0 / 0 | 23:11–23:13 UTC | NWS Mount Holly |
| Jul 9, 2015 | EF0 | 65 mph | 0.5 mi | 75 yd | 0 / 0 | 23:50–23:52 UTC | NWS Mount Holly |
| Jun 20, 2013 | EF0 | 80 mph | 0.3 mi | 150 yd | 0 / 0 | 18:08 UTC | NWS Mount Holly |
| Jun 11, 2013 | EF0 | 80 mph | 0.3 mi | 150 yd | 0 / 0 | 18:08 UTC | NWS Mount Holly |
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT): the tornado paths and EF-rating zones NWS survey teams mapped after each storm. Survey data are preliminary and can be revised; NOAA's official record is Storm Data (NCEI). Paths are simplified to about 30 m. Times are when the tornado was on the ground, in UTC.