Long Neck · Weather, flooding and hazards
Long Neck, Delaware: weather, flooding and hazards
Weather, climate, flooding and hazards in Long Neck, Sussex County, Delaware: 18 questions answered from NOAA, the state and other official sources.
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Questions about weather, flooding and hazards in Long Neck
What is the climate like in Long Neck, Delaware?
Using NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals from the Lewes station, the nearest of the stations we use, the average January low is 30.2 degrees F and the average July high is 87.7 degrees F. Annual precipitation averages 47.28 inches. The station is not inside Long Neck, so readings in town can differ a little, especially near the water. Source: ncei.noaa.gov.
How much snow does Long Neck get per year?
The 1991 to 2020 normal for the Lewes station, the nearest station we use, is 10.5 inches of snow a year. Individual winters vary a lot around that average. Source: ncei.noaa.gov.
Is Long Neck in a flood zone?
Part of Long Neck may sit in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, and the answer depends on the address, so we do not give a town-wide yes or no. The USGS elevation at the town's Census center point is only about 10 feet, which is low ground. Look up a specific property in the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and the DNREC Delaware Flood Planning Tool. Source: msc.fema.gov, floodplanning.dnrec.delaware.gov, epqs.nationalmap.gov.
Is Long Neck in a hurricane evacuation zone?
Delaware labels hurricane evacuation zones A, B, C and D, and describes them as low-lying areas susceptible to flooding and storm surge. The state page does not list communities by zone, so we cannot say which zone Long Neck or a given address falls in. Use the Know Your Zone lookup tool or interactive map to check an address. Source: preparede.org, dema.delaware.gov.
How big is Long Neck and how high above sea level is it?
The 2020 Census Gazetteer lists Long Neck at 2.759 square miles of land and 0.375 square miles of water. Elevation at the Census center point is about 10 feet above sea level (USGS 3DEP), and ground height varies across town. Source: www2.census.gov, epqs.nationalmap.gov.
Which National Weather Service forecast zone covers Long Neck?
The National Weather Service (Mount Holly office) places Long Neck in forecast zone DEZ003, Inland Sussex, Delaware. This was read from the NWS point forecast page for the town's Census center point. Source: forecast.weather.gov.
How many days a year reach 90 degrees in Long Neck?
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Lewes station show an average of 29.2 days a year with a high of 90 degrees F or higher and 0.8 days at 100 degrees F or higher. The station is not inside Long Neck, so readings in town can differ a little. Source: ncei.noaa.gov.
When are the last spring freeze and first fall freeze in Long Neck?
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Lewes station give a 50 percent probability date of March 29 for the last spring freeze (32 degrees F or lower) and November 14 for the first fall freeze. That works out to a growing season of 231 days at the same probability level. The station is not inside Long Neck, so readings in town can differ a little. Source: ncei.noaa.gov.
How much heating and cooling demand does Long Neck have in a year?
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Lewes station list 3823.0 heating degree days and 1505.8 cooling degree days a year, which are NOAA's measures of heating and cooling demand. The station is not inside Long Neck, so readings in town can differ a little. Source: ncei.noaa.gov.
Which month is wettest and which is driest in Long Neck?
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 monthly normals for the Lewes station show July as the wettest month at 4.95 inches and February as the driest at 3.17 inches. The station is not inside Long Neck, so readings in town can differ a little. Source: ncei.noaa.gov.
How often does Long Neck get an inch or more of precipitation in one day?
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Lewes station show an average of 13.5 days a year with 1.00 inch or more of precipitation and 2.3 days with 2.00 inches or more. The station is not inside Long Neck, so readings in town can differ a little. Source: ncei.noaa.gov.
Which months does it snow in Long Neck?
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 monthly normals for the Lewes station show snow only from December to March: 1.0 inch in December, 2.0 in January, 6.5 in February and 1.0 in March. Those add up to 10.5 inches a year, and individual winters vary a lot. Source: ncei.noaa.gov.
At what tide level does flooding start in Long Neck?
The National Weather Service Mount Holly Sussex County tide table, updated May 2016, says flooding begins in Long Neck, including DE Route 23, at 6.4 feet above MLLW on the Lewes tide gauge. The table marks Long Neck as back-bay type flooding, and levels there can vary from event to event depending on how many tide cycles have onshore wind. Source: weather.gov.
Do tides in the Long Neck area run earlier or later than at Lewes?
The National Weather Service says high tides on the back bays of Sussex County, which include Rehoboth Bay and Indian River Bay, occur up to about 2.5 hours later than at the Lewes gauge, and low tides up to about 3 hours later. The same table marks Long Neck flooding as back-bay type. Source: weather.gov.
What are the highest tides on record at the Lewes gauge that NWS uses for Long Neck?
The National Weather Service Mount Holly Sussex County tide table, updated May 2016, lists the highest Lewes gauge readings as 9.3 feet above MLLW on January 23, 2016, 9.2 feet on March 6, 1962, 8.8 feet on January 4, 1992 and 8.7 feet on October 29, 2012 during Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy. NOAA's own Lewes datum record also lists its observed maximum on January 23, 2016. Source: weather.gov, api.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov.
How fast is sea level rising near Long Neck?
NOAA's relative sea level trend for the Lewes tide gauge is 1.49 inches per decade, with an error of 0.05, based on monthly data from February 1919 to December 2025. The National Weather Service uses Lewes as the reference gauge for Sussex County tides. Source: api.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov, weather.gov.
Is Long Neck part of a StormReady community?
The National Weather Service StormReady page for Delaware lists Sussex County as StormReady, along with Kent and New Castle counties. It does not list Long Neck separately. Source: weather.gov.
When did the current flood maps for the Long Neck area take effect?
DNREC's floodplain mapping page says the Kent and Sussex map updates became effective in June 2018. Flood zones depend on the address, so check a specific property in the FEMA Flood Map Service Center or the Delaware Flood Planning Tool. Source: dnrec.delaware.gov.
How these answers are sourced
Every answer on this page cites an official or primary source, such as the town, a state agency, NOAA or the institution itself. Answers SussexCounty.ai could not confirm from a primary source are left out until they can be.