Video reveals ‘apocalyptic’ storm tossing entire beach into the air in Delaware

‘All those umbrellas just blew out to sea’

Storms on Friday hit beachgoers in Delaware, with gusts that sent umbrellas flying out into the ocean.

Rain and wind hit the southern Delaware shore, with video of the scene coming out of Bethany Beach.

Mark Eichmann, a reporter for WHYY, called the video “downright apocalyptic-looking.”

The Delaware coast got nearly an inch of rain on Friday, with wind gusts up to 44 miles per hour (71 kilometres per hour), according to the National Weather Service.

The area recorded thunderstorms and heavy rain that day. With something as large as a beach umbrella, it can be hard to hang onto it when the sail catches in the air in such strong winds.

As rain pours down, beachgoers shuffle off the sand back toward, letting the wave of umbrellas fly out to the ocean.

The person taking the video can be heard saying “They’re going out to sea.”

“All those umbrellas just blew out to sea,” they add.

Thunderstorms are common during summer afternoons as moisture and rising air combine to form heavy clouds. Winds associated with the storms can be strong, and lead to damage when they hit trees, power lines or buildings.

No power outages or other damage from the storm has been reported.

The southern Delaware coast is a popular summer vacation spot for many people in the mid-Atlantic, home to beach towns like Bethany Beach, Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach.

Summer visitors to the southern Delaware coast include President Joe Biden, who owns a vacation home in the area and visited on Sunday. Weather on Sunday was reportedly sunny and 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius).

While this storm was likely just a normal summer afternoon shower, thunderstorms may be growing more intense as greenhouse gases, mainly from fossil fuel use, warm the planet and power the global climate crisis.