NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Millville, 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
68 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Millville, Delaware since 1851, 18 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 26 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 18
- Tropical storms
- 50
- Tornadoes
- 26
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Millville
The strongest storm to pass near Millville was an unnamed storm in 1944, a Category 3 hurricane with 110 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1924, whose centre came within 4 miles. The record near Millville begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 8 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 7 systems. Of the 68 systems, 13 have come since 2000. Millville is tied for the most hurricanes within 75 miles among the 37 Delaware cities on this site. The strongest of the 26 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on April 1, 2023; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 26, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on June 30, 2025. Of the 37 Delaware cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Millville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 7 times since 1969, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 37 Delaware cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Millville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Millville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 10 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | SandyOct 29 | 61 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 16 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | Twenty-TwoOct 14 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 29 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | GastonAug 31 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 15 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1986 | CharleyAug 18 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 35 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 9 | 68 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1967 | DoriaSep 16 | 67 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1963 | Unnamed 1963 stormJun 3 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 49 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1953 | BarbaraAug 14 | 59 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 21 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 14 | 59 mi | Category 3 (110 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 3 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormSep 18 | 69 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 6 | 68 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 8 | 65 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 4 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 19 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 25 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 14 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 22 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 29 | 63 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 65 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 12 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 23 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormSep 10 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 18 | 37 mi | Category 2 (99 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 2 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 27 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 20 | 15 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 Millville: 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 Millville
By decade
- 2020s5(1 EF3+)
- 2010s5
- 2000s1
- 1990s5
- 1980s1
- 1970s3
- 1960s4
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2023 | EF3 | 24 mi | 14.3 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 2019 | EF2 | 22 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 12, 1955 | F2 | 3 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 15, 2019 | EF1 | 16 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 27, 2011 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1992 | F1 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1990 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 15, 1989 | F1 | 6 mi | 12.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 1975 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 1965 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 9, 1962 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1962 | F1 | 3 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 26, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Millville
The Storm Prediction Center has 7 hail reports within 10 miles of Millville since 1969. Of these, 6 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 30, 1976. The most recent report is from June 8, 2023.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Millville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ocean City Municipal Airport, MD, 16 miles south of Millville at 12 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 28°F. October is the wettest at 4.0 inches of precipitation on average and February and April the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 42.7 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (22.0 of 42.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 68 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (28); a normal September there has highs of 77°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 81 nights a year. That 42.7 inches is more than at 1 of the 11 Delaware stations used on this site (9%). Ocean View, under a mile northeast, has its own station (Lewes, DE): 47.5 inches a year, 4.8 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 84°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Ocean City Inlet, MD, 15 miles south, averaged 74°F in September and 41°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Ocean City tide gauge, 15 miles from Millville, has risen 2.07 ± 0.14 inches per decade from 1975 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 20.7 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 121 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 28 | 3.4 | 6 | 42 |
| Feb | 47 | 29 | 3.0 | 6 | 41 |
| Mar | 52 | 35 | 3.9 | 7 | 46 |
| Apr | 62 | 44 | 3.0 | 6 | 53 |
| May | 70 | 53 | 3.8 | 6 | 61 |
| Jun | 79 | 63 | 3.3 | 6 | 68 |
| Jul | 84 | 68 | 3.8 | 6 | 72 |
| Aug | 83 | 67 | 3.8 | 5 | 73 |
| Sep | 77 | 61 | 3.9 | 5 | 74 |
| Oct | 68 | 49 | 4.0 | 5 | 66 |
| Nov | 58 | 39 | 3.2 | 5 | 57 |
| Dec | 50 | 32 | 3.6 | 7 | 47 |
| Year | 64 | 47 | 42.7 | 70 | 58 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ocean City Municipal Airport, MD (12 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Ocean City Inlet, 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 Millville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 149 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Millville: 74 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 flash floods, 25 heavy rain events, 15 lightning strikes and 10 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $470,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 19, 2002. July has had the most flash floods, 12 of 25. Of the 37 Delaware cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 26 have had fewer than Millville.
June 9, 2021: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Millville — 1 injured.
June 25, 2012: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Millville — $100,000 damage.
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
Sussex County, which includes Millville, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 5 snowstorms, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on May 29, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sussex County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for coastal flooding; Relatively High for hurricanes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $119.3 million a year, the 2nd highest of 3 Delaware counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $42.6 million (36%), 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).
Millville in the notable storm records: Hurricane Sandy (2012)
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Millville
- Ocean View, DEunder 1 mi
- Bethany Beach, DE3 mi
- Frankford, DE5 mi
- Dagsboro, DE6 mi
- Selbyville, DE6 mi
- Millsboro, DE8 mi
- Bishopville, MD9 mi
- Ocean City, MD11 mi
- Rehoboth Beach, DE11 mi
- Lewes, DE14 mi
- Berlin, MD15 mi
- Georgetown, DE18 mi
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