Severe weather
Tornado confirmed west of Wilmington, DE Thursday; second touchdown on video unconfirmed
By Ryan Hall, Y'all Weather Desk ยท Published
Written by our automated news desk from National Weather Service data.
Key points
- Where: The confirmed tornado was just west of Wilmington, DE. The video touchdown appears to be east of the city along the Delaware River, but that one is not confirmed.
- When: The confirmed tornado was around 1:15 PM ET Thursday. The viewer video was posted at 6:07 PM ET and shows the touchdown on a high-window view over Wilmington rowhouses.
- What: The day carried a Level 2 of 5 (Slight Risk) for severe storms across southeastern Pennsylvania and southern and central New Jersey, with hail as the main concern and a few tornadoes possible.
- What it means: No severe storms are expected Friday, Nov. 13. Tonight's job is checking for storm damage and watching for flooded roads.
A tornado was confirmed west of Wilmington, Delaware, near Christiana Hospital around 1:15 PM ET Thursday, Nov. 12. A viewer video from @KestrelTapes shows what looks like a second tornado reaching the ground east of the city, near the Delaware River off Bellefonte, and that touchdown has not been confirmed.
The confirmed tornado was part of a small but active severe setup near a low pressure system moving east. By this evening the main threat had shifted northeast into southern and central New Jersey.
What the video shows and what is confirmed
The confirmed part is the tornado west of the city near Christiana Hospital at about 1:15 PM ET. That is the one we can call a tornado with confidence.
The video is a different story. It runs about 14 seconds from a high window with two water towers in frame, and it shows a narrow, fully condensed funnel reaching the ground. The photographer wrote that it "briefly touched down in what looked like on the Delaware river just off of Bellefonte." That fits a second touchdown from the same storm, east of the city. We have not seen that touchdown confirmed, so for now treat it as a credible viewer report, not an official tornado.
If you saw damage in northern Delaware, the Delaware River shoreline or the Philadelphia suburbs, live storm reports is where we track what's coming in.
Why this small area got a tornado risk
A low pressure system developed over northern Virginia and was expected to track east across New Jersey. Along it and the warm front stretching east, winds near the ground were turning strongly with height, which is what helps storms rotate. The storm fuel was modest, 500 to 900 J/kg of MLCAPE, but that was enough for a few isolated rotating storms.
The severe storm outlook had a small Level 2 area covering roughly 7.5 million people, including Philadelphia, Camden and New Brunswick. Wilmington sat in the Level 1 zone around it. Chances were 5% for a tornado nearby, 15% for 1-inch or larger hail and 5% for damaging wind gusts of 60 mph or more. A Tornado Watch was issued for the area. Those were small numbers, and one tornado confirmed with another possible on video shows how a small setup can still produce.
What's next
There are no severe storms in the outlook for Friday or Saturday. Several flash flood warnings were still active this evening, and Thursday carried a Level 1 of 4 (Marginal) flash flood risk over New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. We don't have the exact locations of those warnings in front of us, so check every active warning for your county.
What to do
- If you live in northern Delaware or southern New Jersey, look around for downed limbs and damaged roofs in daylight, and keep away from downed power lines.
- Don't drive through water over the road tonight, especially on low-lying roads and underpasses.
- If you saw the tornado or damage, send us what you have. We confirm what we can and say plainly what we can't.
- Sign up for free Y'all Alerts so a warning for your spot reaches you first.
Bottom line
A tornado was confirmed west of Wilmington Thursday afternoon, and video suggests a second one touched down east of the city, though that is not confirmed. The severe threat is moving off to the northeast, and Friday looks free of severe storms.
More on Mid-Atlantic severe weather, November 2026
Places in this story: Wilmington, DE; Philadelphia, PA
Sources
- NWS Local Storm Reports, National Weather Service