Dover, DE Tornado History — 41 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Dover, DE had?
Dover has had 41 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 1 violent (EF3+) tornado.
When was the most recent tornado near Dover?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Dover was an EF3 on April 1, 2023, causing 1 fatality.
When is tornado season in Dover?
July is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Dover, with 16 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Dover
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 11 total, averaging 0.6 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Dover since December 29, 2025
These are 2 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of Dover. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Dover
3 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Dover since 1950, across 2 events. 56 injuries have been reported across all events. 1983 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F2 on July 21, 1983, which caused 2 fatalities along a 1.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Dover
About Tornadoes in Dover
This overview was written July 29, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Dover lies on the flat coastal plain of Kent County, near the middle of the Delmarva Peninsula, and its tornadoes have clustered in the humid warm season, with July dates recurring again and again among the events near the city.
Some of those summer storms turned severe. On July 22, 1983, an F2 tornado killed two people and injured nine along a one-mile path. On June 7, 1988, an F1 carved a 23-mile track roughly 100 yards wide, injuring 30 people and causing $2,750,000 in property damage. On August 4, 2020, an EF2 tracked 35.78 miles with a width of 500 yards, and EF1 tornadoes touched down near the city that same day; EF1s struck again on July 1, 2021.
Other seasons have produced tornadoes here as well. An F2 arrived in the depths of winter on January 27, 1967, injuring seven people along a half-mile path. An F2 on May 18, 1995 ran ten miles across the area, and spring brought tragedy on April 1, 2023, when an EF3 tornado tore a 14.3-mile path as much as 700 yards wide through the region, killing one person.