Delaware's pre-holiday headache: Soaking rain, gusty winds and below-zero wind chills
Gusty winds, chilly temperatures and slick roads look like the biggest problems on Friday after Thursday's soaking rain throughout Delaware.
Snow is a possibility Friday, but only in northern New Castle County near Wilmington, said Mike Lee, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey.
“Once the cold front comes through, there could be a brief snow shower, but we’re not expecting any significant accumulation,” Lee said.
The heaviest rains are predicted for northern New Castle County, as much as 2 inches, with lesser amounts downstate.
Wet roads with some standing water could cause problems Thursday night and Friday morning, but as temperatures plunge throughout Friday, wet roads could turn icy.
“Once the front comes through and temperatures drop, if they drop fast enough and roads are still wet, we could potentially see some freezing on roadways,” Lee said.
The winds, however, are going to start picking up Thursday night with gusts about 20 to 30 mph.
Friday will bring the worst winds with gusts as high as 40 to 50 mph while plunging temperatures will create “dangerously cold” wind chills Friday night through Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service.
“It’s going to feel like the temperature is below zero across the state,” said Lee.
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Downed trees and power lines are also a possibility.
Gale-force winds and seas reaching 9 to 14 feet could make marine navigation difficult Thursday night through Friday evening, and significant wind gusts up to 45 knots (about 52 mph) will impact Atlantic Coastal waters and the Delaware Bay.
Minor to moderate coastal flooding is possible in Delaware, the Delaware Bay and the tidal Delaware River during high-tide cycles Friday morning and afternoon. Major areas of concern for coastal flooding around the state include Cape Henlopen, Fenwick Island, Slaughter Beach and inland portions of Sussex County.
New Castle County
Rain: 1.5 to 2 inches, ending Friday afternoon. Saturday is expected to be mostly sunny.
Wind: Thursday – Winds increasing to 20 to 30 mph Thursday night. Friday – Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph are possible into the night. Saturday – Still windy, 15 to 25 mph, with gusts of about 40 mph.
Temperatures: Thursday – Rising temperatures even into the night, up to about 55 degrees. Friday – Warmest in the early morning, still in the 50s, then temperatures will start dropping by mid-morning and continue to fall to about 11 degrees Friday night. Saturday – Continued cold with a high of about 20 and a low of about 14.
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Kent County
Rain: 1 to 1.5 inches, ending Friday afternoon. Saturday is expected to be mostly sunny.
Wind: Thursday – Winds increasing to 20 to 30 mph Thursday night. Friday – Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph are possible into the night. Saturday – Still windy, 15 to 25 mph, with gusts of about 40 mph.
Temperatures: Thursday – Rising temperatures even into the night, up to about 55 degrees. Friday – Warmest in the early morning, still in the 50s, then temperatures will start dropping by mid-morning and continue to fall to about 12 degrees Friday night. Saturday – Continued cold with a high of about 22 and a low of about 16.
Sussex County
Rain: 1 to 1.5 inches in most of the county, except for the eastern coast where 0.5 to 1 inch is expected, ending Friday afternoon. Saturday is expected to be mostly sunny.
Wind: Thursday – Winds increasing to 20 to 30 mph Thursday night. Friday – Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph are possible into the night. Saturday – Still windy, 15 to 25 mph, with gusts of about 40 mph.
Temperatures: Thursday – Rising temperatures even into the night, up to about 56 degrees. Friday – Warmest in the early morning, still in the 50s, then temperatures will start dropping by mid-morning and continue to fall to about 12 degrees Friday night. Saturday – Continued cold with a high of about 24 and a low of about 17.
Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Winter storm bringing rain, strong winds, bitter cold to Delaware
