Laurel, DE tornado history
8 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of the center of Laurel, DE from 1950 through 2025, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, ranking 15th of 22 Delaware cities with a tornado on record. None was rated F3/EF3 or stronger by the National Weather Service. The most recent was on May 16, 2025 (EF1, 11.3-mile path); the strongest, on April 14, 2019, was rated EF2. The deadliest, on May 8, 1984, 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 Laurel, DE
| Date | Rating | Path length | Deaths / injuries | Started in | Closest to center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2025 | EF1 | 11.3 mi | 0 / 0 | Dorchester County, MD → DE | 2.8 mi |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF2 | 6.2 mi | 0 / 1 | Sussex County, DE | 0.6 mi |
| Aug 28, 1992 | F0 | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 | Sussex County, DE | 5.4 mi |
| Jul 15, 1992 | F0 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Sussex County, DE | 4.0 mi |
| Jul 15, 1992 | F0 | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Sussex County, DE | 1.5 mi |
| Aug 15, 1989 | F1 | 12.7 mi | 0 / 0 | Sussex County, DE | 7.5 mi |
| May 8, 1984 | F1 | 18.0 mi | 1 / 14 | Dorchester County, MD → DE | 9.5 mi |
| May 8, 1984 | F1 | 18.0 mi | 0 / 10 | Dorchester County, MD → DE | 9.8 mi |
More: Sussex County tornadoes · Delaware tornado history · Laurel 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 Laurel
The National Weather Service mapped the path of 2 tornadoes within 10 miles of Laurel in damage surveys (1 EF2, 1 EF1). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2025 | EF1 | 107 mph | 11.4 mi | 600 yd | 0 / 0 | 22:52–23:06 UTC | NWS PHI, |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF2 | 120 mph | 9.3 mi | 400 yd | 0 / 1 | 07:38–07:49 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.