Map shows Sussex tornado’s path from Bridgeville to Ellendale

A deadly tornado that struck Sussex County on Saturday, April 1, was one of Delaware’s strongest and widest tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey.

The tornado traveled 14.3 miles as it tore up homes and other structures, poles and trees from west of Bridgeville to east of Ellendale. At its widest, it was about 700 yards.

The numbers below correspond to the numbers on the map above. (Tip: If on mobile, click on the map image so you may zoom in.) Here is what happened in 20 minutes:

1. At 5:59 p.m., the tornado begins near Polk and Dublin Hill roads. A roof is blown off a small barn.
2. Wooden power poles are knocked down. One tree falls on a house and causes significant roof damage.
3. The tornado’s path parallels Newton Road. A farmstead suffers significant tree damage, and about a half-dozen parked semi-trailers are blown over.
4. Near Precious Lane and Newton Road, a two-story house collapses. A small outbuilding nearby is severely damaged.
5. At a Dale Farm Road farmstead, two walls are blown out of a large barn, and a smaller shed is blown over.
6. Wooden and steel high-tension power poles are knocked down as the tornado hits its estimated peak wind speed of 140 mph. A Delaware Department of Transportation facility sustains significant damage.
7. Utility poles are snapped, and one tree falls on a double-wide manufactured home.
8. Along Sugar Hill Road, a house sustains significant damage, and a small outbuilding is also damaged.
9. Along Fawn Road, the tornado intensifies. Single-family homes are damaged, and a large detached garage collapses.
10. Along the northern extension of Fawn Road, a single-story house collapses. Other homes’ roofs are damaged.
11. Along Quail Hollow Road, one tree falls on a house. Near Trucks Road and Quail Hollow Road, a large detached garage is severely damaged.
12. Just south of Tuckers Road, the tornado reaches its maximum width of about 700 yards. At a small farmstead on Tuckers Road, a house collapses, and two barns are destroyed. Several nearby homes are damaged.
13. Just east of Tuckers Road, a single-family home suffers significant structural damage. On Tuckers Road, a residence and detached garage are heavily damaged, and a chicken house loses part of its roof.
14. Along B and R Road, a large chicken house is severely damaged.
15. Along Oakley Road, a wall of a house’s garage is damaged.
16. On Beaver Dam Road, a single-family house is damaged.
17. Along Sharons Road, trees are damaged in a residential area.
18. Near Washington and McCaulley avenues, roofing comes off a garage.
19. In the area of Pine and Oak streets, a single-family home loses its garage roof and walls. Other homes’ roofs are damaged.
20. On Ponder Road, roofing is blown off an auto service building.
21. At 6:19 p.m., the tornado dissipates near Hummingbird and Benson roads.

Delaware’s tornadoes since 1950:A map and the details

Quick facts about Sussex County’s EF3 tornado

The fatality: One person was killed in a home Saturday. The last time a tornado killed someone in Delaware was July 21, 1983, in Hartly.

The rating: With an estimated peak wind of 140 mph, the Saturday twister was an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which ranges from EF0 to EF5. Delaware’s strongest tornado on record was an F3 that destroyed a 13-inch warehouse wall and blew the warehouse’s large doors two blocks away in New Castle on April 28, 1961.