A winter storm dropped heavy snow and sleet across central and in particular northwestern Delaware.  Snowfall and sleet averaged less than 3 inches in Sussex County, 3 to 8 inches in Kent County and 8 to 16 inches in New Castle County.
Snow began in Delaware between 8 p.m. EST and 9 p.m. EST on the 12th. Three bands of heavy snow, in which snowfall rates averaged two to three inches per hour,  formed in northern Kent County and southern New Castle County and moved northward through Delaware between 2 a.m. EST and 8 a.m. EST on the 13th. The snow changed to rain in Sussex County between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. EST on the 13th, Kent County around 6 a.m. EST on the 13th and in New Castle County after the last snow and sleet band moved through at 8 a.m. EST on the 13th. Thunderstorms also occurred with the rain during the late afternoon and early evening of the 13th. As the low pressure system moved offshore, precipitation changed back to snow during the middle of the evening on the 13th and the last band of snow exited Delaware shortly after Midnight EST on the 14th.
Schools, malls, businesses, government, state and local offices as well as municipal courts never opened on the 13th.  Because the heavy snow started early in the morning, the number of accidents and calls for assistance was less than usual. Delaware State Police responded to around 60 accidents, 6 with injuries as well as about 40 disabled vehicles. The combination of snow and wind caused about 6,900 Delmarva Power and Light customers to lose power, most in New Castle County. One of the hardest hit businesses were florists as the heavy snow wreaked havoc on the flower deliveries for Valentine's Day. The latest event strained municipal budgets further and increased the shortage of salt supplies in the region.
Representative snowfall included 16.0 inches in Newark (New Castle County), 14.4 inches in Greenville (New Castle County), 12.9 inches in Pike Creek (New Castle County), 12.5 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 11.7 inches in Talleyville (New Castle County), 11.5 inches in Hockessin (New Castle County), 9.5 inches in Newport (New Castle County), 7.4 inches in Dover (Kent County), 4.6 inches in Viola (Kent County), 3.3 inches in Harrington (Kent County), 2.1 inches in Ellendale (Sussex County) and 1.2 inches in Bridgeville (Sussex County).
The winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on the 11th and moved east on the 12th. This was preceded by an arctic high pressure system that passed over the Middle Atlantic States that same day and left plenty of initial cold, dry air in place.  A new low pressure system formed east of Florida on the 12th and would become the primary low pressure system for the event. It moved northeast and was near Wilmington, North Carolina at 7 p.m. EST on the 12th. From there, it continued northnortheast and passed near Elizabeth City, North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 13th. Once it reached the Atlantic Ocean again, it started to intensify rapidly and reached the Delmarva coastal waters early in the afternoon on the 13th. At 7 p.m. EST on the 13th, the low pressure system was off the New Jersey coast and deepened to 986 millibars (11 millibar drop in 12 hours).  From there the low pressure system moved northeast and intensified even more rapidly as it passed just east of Long Island, New York and passed near Boston, Massachusetts as a 976 millibar low pressure system at 4 a.m. EST on the 14th. This low pressure system deepened to 968 millibars at 10 a.m. EST on the 14th while over Maine before finally leveling off.  The close pass to the Delaware coast permitted this low pressure system to bring in above freezing (milder) air into Delaware and changed precipitation over to plain rain for a while during the event.

Winter Weather in DELAWARE BEACHES, DELAWARE
From 12-FEB-14 20:00:00 to 14-FEB-14 02:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Weather in INLAND SUSSEX, DELAWARE
From 12-FEB-14 21:00:00 to 14-FEB-14 01:30:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in KENT, DELAWARE
From 12-FEB-14 20:30:00 to 14-FEB-14 01:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE
From 12-FEB-14 20:00:00 to 14-FEB-14 02:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter