Record flooding in Delaware, and it's not over yet
WILMINGTON, Del. — Meteorologists are warning that a powerful winter storm crushing Delaware is not over yet.
Delaware's coast could see more record flooding at high tide, and the northern part of the state is forecasted to get several more inches of snow before midnight, according to Accuweather Meteorologist Brian Edwards.
Coastal flooding remains a top concern. The morning high tide at Lewes Breakwater Harbor near Rehoboth Beach was, according to preliminary data, the second highest on record and could get worse by the evening's 8:22 p.m. ET high tide.
While predicted to be lower than the early morning high tide, the concern is that already high tides won't recede if the water is held in by onshore winds.
State Rep. Peter C. Schwartzkopf of Rehoboth Beach said "I don't know that I've ever seen it that high" on Rehoboth Bay.
Mike DiPaolo, director of the Lewes Historical Society, ventured said the flooding in downtown Lewes seemed to equal the worst flooding seen during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
"The Canalfront Park is underwater," DiPaolo said. "And the bridge across Canary Creek on Pilottown Road is submerged, with waves breaking over it."
Meanwhile, in Kent and New Castle Counties, a brief lull in the storm during the afternoon had some hoping the worst was over. But Edwards warned that the blizzard is far from over.
"I think we will fill back in with accumulating snow, and ultimately, I would suspect that in and around Wilmington we will end up with 12 to 18 inches of snow," he said.
Data gathered by the University of Delaware show that snowfall totals as of about 4 p.m. Saturday range from about 8 to 12 inches near New Castle, Newark and Dover.
A National Weather Service blizzard warning remains in effect until 6 a.m. Sunday. The warning says snow accumulations could reach 15 to 20 inches south and east of Philadelphia and 20 to 25 inches from Philadelphia north and westward. Locally higher amounts are possible.
The whole state is under a state of emergency for the weekend, per Gov. Jack Markell's directive.
The National Guard increased its deployment in the state this morning, Markell said, to 266 troops from 246. Guardsmen had conducted 30 missions by midmorning, mostly to transport doctors and nurses from their homes to hospitals, he said. They have also rescued people who were stranded because of flooding.
Markell said in a news conference, people "should not be out on the road. And law enforcement certainly knows they should not be out on the road."
For those who didn't head the warning, Delaware State Police were on hand. State Police reported that as of noon Saturday troopers had responded to 135 property damage collisions, 14 personal injury collisions, 205 disabled vehicles and 48 traffic hazards statewide.
Power outages have also been a major concern. Some 9,200 Delmarva Power customers in Delaware were without power at one point Saturday morning. In Sussex County, 12% of the company's customers were in the dark at 8:30 a.m., according to Delmarva Power's outage map.
However, by the afternoon, the number of outages dwindled to about 900.
A power failure at the Delaware City Refinery caused the plant to shut down.
The shutdown was accompanied by flaring and a chemical release, according to The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
The power failure occurred around 11:40 a.m. Casey Fountain, a DNREC investigator said the power outage was likely tied to the weather. Refinery officials are still investigating the cause and working to get the plant back online, said Barbara Roehl, a manager at the refinery.
For Delaware Department of Transportation plow crews, the high winds are making it hard to keep primary roads, said Jim Westhoff, a DelDOT spokesman.
"We're spending a lot of time on the same roads over and over again. That's really set us back," Westhoff said.
The blizzard wasn't all bad news though. Some children ventured outdoors after being cooped up inside all morning. Reilly and Brianne Miller went out during a short break in the snowfall around noon near New Castle.
"We've been begging to come outside," 7-year-old Reilly said.
Her 5-year-old sister added, "We love the snow."
The sisters, wearing matching pink snow pants and goggles, walked over to the back of William Penn High School, at times falling into the deep snow that came up to their waists. They then slid down the hill, screaming for more speed.
Courtney Daniell, 37, braved the gusts to take a trek to see if a Family Dollar store was open before heading to a friend’s house.
She and her roommates picked up storm essentials, such as water, before the weekend, so they were ready for a cozy couple days in the warmth.
“I love it,” Daniell said of the snow. “Most of the time.”
Contributing: Karl Baker, Jen Rini, Xerxes Wilson and Molly Murray, The News Journal