NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Clayton, DE
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
48 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Clayton, Delaware since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 52 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 44
- Tornadoes
- 52
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Clayton
The strongest storm to pass near Clayton was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 89 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1904, whose centre came within 36 miles. The record near Clayton begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 33 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2020s, with 5 systems. Of the 48 systems, 11 have come since 2000. Of the 37 Delaware cities on this site, 68% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Clayton. The highest rating among the 52 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 11 times; the most recent, on August 4, 2020, came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on July 21, 1983, killed 2 people. Of the 52, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on July 9, 2023. Clayton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 64% of the 37 Delaware cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 15 times since 1968, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 37 Delaware cities, 49% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Clayton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Clayton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 1 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 10 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 29 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 21 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 3 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 36 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 52 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 73 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 23 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 62 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 20 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Clayton: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Clayton
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s5
- 2000s5
- 1990s16
- 1980s4
- 1970s11
- 1960s3
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 1983 | F2 | 7 mi | 1 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF2 | 5 mi | 35.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1994 | F2 | 19 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 27, 1993 | F2 | 19 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1992 | F2 | 19 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1981 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 9, 1977 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 21, 1976 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 1971 | F2 | 16 mi | 8.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 27, 1967 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jul 1, 1954 | F2 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 2023 | EF1 | 17 mi | 1.19 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 52, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Clayton
The Storm Prediction Center has 15 hail reports within 10 miles of Clayton since 1968, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 5 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on July 2, 1968. The most recent report is from April 16, 2022. June has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Clayton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dover, DE, 12 miles southeast of Clayton at 30 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 28°F. August is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.7 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (25.4 of 47.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 48 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (17); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 79 nights a year. Snowfall averages 13.2 inches a year, most of it in February. That 47.7 inches is more than at 8 of the 11 Delaware stations used on this site (73%). Millington, MD, 10 miles west, has its own station (Chestertown, MD): 46.1 inches a year, 1.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Chesapeake City, MD, 19 miles north, averaged 84°F in July and 38°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July to August. Sea level at the Chesapeake City tide gauge, 19 miles from Clayton, has risen 1.76 ± 0.12 inches per decade from 1972 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 17.6 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 111 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 28 | 3.4 | 6 | 4.1 | 38 |
| Feb | 47 | 29 | 3.1 | 7 | 5.9 | 39 |
| Mar | 55 | 35 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.6 | 46 |
| Apr | 66 | 45 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 | 57 |
| May | 74 | 54 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 | 67 |
| Jun | 83 | 64 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 | 76 |
| Jul | 87 | 69 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 | 84 |
| Aug | 85 | 67 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 | 82 |
| Sep | 79 | 61 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 | 76 |
| Oct | 69 | 50 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 | 65 |
| Nov | 58 | 39 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 | 53 |
| Dec | 49 | 32 | 4.0 | 7 | 2.6 | 42 |
| Year | 66 | 48 | 47.7 | 74 | 13.2 | 60 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dover, DE (30 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Chesapeake City, MD, from NOAA Tides & Currents. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Clayton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 181 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Clayton: 127 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 heavy rain events, 15 flash floods and 14 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 66 mph, on June 6, 2002. August has had the most flash floods, 6 of 15. Of the 37 Delaware cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 19 have had fewer than Clayton.
February 12, 1999: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Clayton — 1 injured, $200,000 damage.
October 29, 2012: flood 10 miles from the centre of Clayton — $600,000 damage.
June 9, 2009: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Clayton — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A severe thunderstorm caused wind damage between Smyrna and Blackiston Crossroads mainly in Kenton Hundred. There were nine calls for fallen trees and downed wires.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Kent County, which includes Clayton, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on May 29, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Kent County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, coastal flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $55.8 million a year, the 3rd highest of 3 Delaware counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $23.5 million (42%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Clayton
- Smyrna, DE5 mi
- Hartly, DE8 mi
- Townsend, DE8 mi
- Millington, MD10 mi
- Dover, DE11 mi
- Galena, MD11 mi
- Camden, DE13 mi
- Middletown, DE15 mi
- Magnolia, DE17 mi
- Felton, DE18 mi
- Church Hill, MD18 mi
- Earleville, MD19 mi
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