It was an EF-3 tornado that ripped through western Sussex County in the early evening hours of April 1, 2023. The tornado leveled a 120 year old home along Tuckers Rd. in Greenwood. Inside was 77 year-old Dan Bawell who would die during the impact. Bawell was the first person to die from a Delaware tornado in 40 years.
The next morning was Palm Sunday, and the devastation could be seen in a stretch from southern Kent County to at least as far south as Ellendale.
The National Weather Service said the tornado was 14.3 miles long, with peak winds of 140 mph. It was 0.4 miles, or 700 yards, wide.
The storm destroyed roofs, blew out windows, downed power lines, uprooted and toppled several trees, and damaged a DelDOT facility. The weather service report says the storm was so strong it caused some houses to slide off their foundations.
In the days that followed, frustration was felt from people living in these damaged areas. They were promised assistance from organizations coordinated by the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA). 9 days after the tornado hit, some felt ignored.
On April 14, CoastTV reported that the power companies dealing with outages claimed the cleanup effort was complete.
According to the National Weather Service, it was the most intense tornado ever recorded in Sussex County.