Storm Status Update – Thursday Morning March 7

(Smyrna) The remnants of a winter storm made its way through Delaware during the night with small amounts of precipitation but continued winds.  Some neighboring states were hit hard with varying amounts of snow, but higher temperatures limited the bulk of the precipitation in Delaware to rain.

Snow did not materialize in Delaware, so problems in the state centered on wind and flooding.  Rivers appear to be swollen in but are not yet at flood stage.  While tidal gauges are indicating high levels of water at coastal locations, only two of the gauges exceed critical levels: Indian River at Rosedale Beach, and Rehoboth Bay at Dewey Beach.  The critical stage is achieved when the water reaches a height at which coastal flooding is likely to occur.

Winds continued strong overnight but as of 5am Thursday morning, all wind advisories had expired or been cancelled.  A Coastal Flood Warning remains in effect until 8am this morning for Kent and Sussex Counties.  The warning covers the areas along the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent back bays, and the Delaware Bay and tidal tributaries.

The Indian River School District will open two hours late.  All other school districts across the state are operating normally on Thursday.

Roads in Delaware are wet, but above-freezing air and road surface temperatures prevented icing.  Drivers should still be cautious in the morning commute and watch out for water ponding on roadways, flooded roads, or debris being blown around by winds that continue in the 20 to 30 mile per hour range, with gusts up to 50 MPH.  The speed limit on Interstate 95 is reduced to 55 MPH, and on the Delaware Memorial Bridge, the speed limit is down to 50 MPH.

Shortly before 4am, a total of 602 power outages were reported statewide.  60% were in New Castle County, and the remainder in Sussex County.  Crews from Delmarva Power and the Delaware Electric Cooperative are working to restore power to affected areas.

There are 15 road closures to report this morning in Delaware:

New Castle County:
Bayview Rd & Silver Run Rd is closed due to Flooding

Old State Road at causeway is closed due to Flooding
Kent County:

Route 9 north of Hay Point Landing Road, Closed due to Flooding

Route 9 between South Little Creek Road and the fire house, Closed due to Flooding

Cypress Branch Road at branch crossing, Closed due to Flooding

Ponderosa Road at Plain Dealing Road, Closed due to Flooding

Port Mahon Rd Closed due to Flooding

 

Sussex County:

Primehook Road is closed due to Flooding
Back Bay Cove Rd Gate is closed due to Flooding

Fowler Beach Road is closed due to Flooding

Route 1 closed between Bethany Beach & Dewey Beach is closed due to Flooding

Road 297 at Chief Clark Road is closed due to Flooding

River Road at both ends of Chief Clark Rd and Shorts Marine is closed due to Flooding

Broadkill Road is closed due to Flooding

New Road is closed due to Flooding