Downpour dumps nearly 7 inches of rain in Rehoboth
Rehoboth Beach recorded 6.77 inches of rain Friday, July 12, making it one of the wettest places in Sussex County.
The same day, the National Weather Service monitoring site at the Sussex County Airport recorded 3.41 inches increasing the monthly total rainfall to 5.38 inches, more than 3 inches above normal, a NWS spokesman said. According to Accuweather.com, the Cape Region has had 5 inches more rain this year than average.
“We had flooding in places we've never had flooding before,” said Henlopen Acres town manager Thomas Roth. “The flooding is usually confined to the canal area, but this time, all the first block had flooding.”
Still, Roth said, the rain caused no damage to town facilities or homes. Town personnel checked storm drains to prevent clogs, and Roth said most residents stayed through the rain and enjoyed nice weather the rest of the weekend.
Rehoboth Beach officials also reported no damage to town facilities, cars or homes, but town manager Greg Ferrese said the day was a wash-out for downtown businesses.
“It was really a terrible day,” Greg. “The rain was constant; it would have been hard to even go shopping. But, Saturday and Sunday were crowded, and there is a beautiful forecast for the rest of the week.”
Ferrese said officials saw only minor flooding on a few streets during the storm. He said the town had more than 3 inches of rain in just over an hour – from 9:30 to 10:40 a.m. that morning.
“Considering the amount of rain in such a short period of time, I think we were very fortunate,” Ferrese said.
Slow business day
Lou Braithwaite of Lewes Gourmet and Puzzles said Friday's rain slowed business during the day, but residents and visitors came out that evening to pick up food and games to play at home.
“We could tell people were on a mission that day when they came into the shops,” Braithwaite said.
She said downtown Lewes had no flooding, because water is quickly funneled into the canal or the marshes. “Even during Hurricane Sandy, we didn't have any flooding here,” she said.
Braithwaite, an avid gardener, said last year she had plants dying at this point in the summer because they didn't have enough water. “This year, some of the plants have too much water,” she said.
For anyone looking for something to do on a rainy day, Lewes Chamber of Commerce Director Betsy Reamer said, “We recommend the historical museum and buildings, or tell them to go out to the library for children's reading hour and activities. There is also the Seaside Nature Center and movies."
