Record-setting rainfall leads to flooding, road closures in northern Delaware

Brandon Holveck
Delaware News Journal

Record-setting rainfall in northern Delaware caused flooding and crashes on many major roads Saturday morning.

Wilmington broke its daily precipitation record with nearly 2.5 inches of rainfall as of 10:45 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. The previous record of 1.97 inches was set in 1978.

The heaviest rainfall ended around 1 p.m., but roads were flooded throughout the day.

A truck with a trailer is stuck under railroad tracks on Stanton Christiana Road Saturday morning.

A portion of Stanton Christiana Road was closed after a truck with a trailer got stuck in a railroad underpass in Stanton around 11 a.m. Floodwater filled a significant portion of the underpass, up to the hood of the truck. Yellow caution tape blocked off the underpass.

Ogletown Road in Newark was closed after a water rescue team helped a driver out of a work truck that was stuck in high water at the Avon underpass, according to the Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Company. A crew of at least a half dozen rescue technicians used an inflatable boat to bring the driver ashore safely. The incident occurred around 12:15 p.m.

For much of the day, Governor Printz Boulevard experienced lane closures and traffic delays due to the weather, according to the state's Department of Transportation.

Emergency crews responded to crashes on I-95, I-295 and I-495 on Saturday morning. A crash on I-495 briefly closed the left south lane near Edgemoor. The two right south lanes of I-95 closed at the Brandywine Bridge due to a crash.

The National Weather Service also warned of flooding at Coochs Bridge. The flood stage reached 11 feet as of 11:15 a.m. and was expected to hit near 12.3 feet in the afternoon.

A truck with a trailer is stuck under railroad tracks on Stanton Christiana Road Saturday morning.

At 12.5 feet the National Weather Service says some businesses could flood and flooding would increase further in Newark near South College Avenue and Barksdale and Casho Mill Roads. The water level at the bridge hasn't reached this high of a crest since 2004, according to the National Weather Service.

The state's Department of Transportation is also reporting extreme road conditions on Marsh, Stony Batter, Millcreek, West Chestnut Hill and Otts Chapel roads, among others.

Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com or at (302) 324-2267. Follow on Twitter @holveck_brandon