Middletown, DE Tornado History — 73 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Middletown, DE had?
Middletown has had 73 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 2 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Middletown?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Middletown was an EF1 on August 8, 2024.
When is tornado season in Middletown?
July is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Middletown, with 20 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 Middletown
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 14 total, averaging 0.7 per year over this window.
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 Middletown
3 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Middletown since 1950, across 2 events. 81 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 Middletown
About Tornadoes in Middletown
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.
Middletown sits amid the open farmland of southern New Castle County, Delaware, near the head of the Delmarva Peninsula, and the tornadoes that have struck within reach of town have mostly ridden in on the humid thunderstorms of high summer.
July 28, 1994 was a violent day for the area: an F3 tornado cut a four-mile path roughly 100 yards wide, injuring 11 people and causing $2,750,000 in property damage, and other tornadoes touched down that same day, among them an F2 that also did $2,750,000 in damage. Deadly storms have struck in other summers as well. An F2 on July 22, 1983 killed 2 people and injured 9 along a one-mile track, and an F2 on September 6, 1979 killed 1 person and injured 4 over a 4.1-mile path. On June 7, 1988, an F1 tracked 23 miles across the area and injured 30 people.
Recent years have kept the pattern going. On August 4, 2020, an EF2 traced a 35.78-mile path as wide as 500 yards through the region, part of a busy stretch that also saw EF1 tornadoes on August 7 and November 30 of that year. An EF1 touched down on August 8, 2024. The calendar of these events tilts heavily toward July and August, though tornadoes here have also arrived in March, April, and even November.