The National Weather Service has issued a report regarding the tornado that left a path of destruction as Tropical Storm Isaias moved through the region on Tuesday.
The tornado touched down in the vicinity of the Eagle Meadows Apartment Homes on Sorghum Mill Road in Kent County then moved across Route 10. It tracked nearly parallel to South State Street through Anneville, the south side of Dover, where significant tree damage occurred, including some treetops shredded from Poplar Lane to the neighborhood around Steele Road.
It was here where some roof damage occurred to some homes especially due to fallen trees, however, a garage was significantly damaged on Dyer’s Tree Farm. The tornado then crossed over Route 13 near the Eden Medical Center and very near the William Henry Middle School. A couple of sections of the school’s roof were blown off along with some tree damage nearby. A warehouse adjacent to the school had a few sections of its metal walls torn off and a couple of tractor-trailer trailers flipped onto their side. The tornado then crossed over Walker Road at Route 15 then to Westminster Village at Dover near the intersection of Route 15 and College Road.
The tornado then tracked northward just east of Cheswold where the damage may have been more sporadic before moving through the east side of Smyrna where more notable tree damage occurred. A 96 mph wind gust was measured at a Delaware Department of Transportation weather station located on Route 1 just north of Smyrna as the tornadic circulation passed by.
From here, the tornado continued nearly parallel to Routes 1 and 13 on the east sides of Townsend and Middletown in New Castle County. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted along portions of Blackbird Landing Road and Gum Bush Road in Townsend with some damage to roofs. A garage at a residence on Blackbird Landing Road was destroyed.
The tornado then damaged homes in Middletown along Spring Hollow Drive. In this neighborhood, some homes had roof material and siding blown off with numerous trees uprooted. Several garage doors were blown out. One home had an entire sidewall blown out. \
One picture showed a home with a missing exterior corner wall on the second story. The tornado may have started to dissipate between Mount Pleasant and Glasgow in New Castle County, however, it is possible the tornado track extended into Cecil County, Maryland. Doppler radar data showed a continuous and well defined rotational signature and a tornado debris signature.
NWS DAMAGE ASSESSMENT RESULTS FOR TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS TORNADOES…
.Kent and New Castle County Delaware Tornado…
Start Location…Dover in Kent County, Delaware
End Location…Middletown in New Castle County, Delaware
Date…August 4, 2020
Estimated Time…8:55 AM EDT to 9:25 AM EDT
Maximum EF-Scale Rating…EF1
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed…105 mph
Maximum Path Width…200 yards
Path Length…29.2 miles
Beginning Lat/Lon…39.10N/75.50W
Ending Lat/Lon…39.48N/75.74W
* Fatalities…0
* Injuries…0
