Delaware, 1997

Heat in Delaware, August 16 to 17, 1997

August 16 to 17, 1997 · NWS PHI · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

The weekend of August 16th and 17th brought some of the hottest and most humid air of the summer into Delaware. High temperatures in most places reached around 100 degrees, while dew point temperatures (an indication of how humid the air mass is) were well into the 70s.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
3
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.

The weekend of August 16th and 17th brought some of the hottest and most humid air of the summer into Delaware. High temperatures in most places reached around 100 degrees, while dew point temperatures (an indication of how humid the air mass is) were well into the 70s. Three heat related illnesses were reported in New Castle County. The hot weather continued to stress growing conditions across the state. The highest temperatures this weekend (on Saturday the 16th for most locations) included 100 degrees in Bridgeville, Dover, Georgetown and Lewes, 97 degrees at the New Castle County Airport and 95 degrees in Prices Corner. The high of 100 degrees in Dover set a new record, surpassing the previous record of 98 degrees set in 1954. The high of 97 degrees at the New Castle County Airport fell one degree short of tying the record for the date. The hot spell ended abruptly as a strong cold front moved through the region early on the 18th.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Delaware Beaches

When
August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
Where
Delaware Beaches forecast zone
Coordinates
38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Inland Sussex

When
August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
Where
Inland Sussex forecast zone
Coordinates
38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Kent

When
August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
Where
Kent forecast zone
Coordinates
39.096, -75.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, New Castle

When
August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
Where
New Castle forecast zone
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
39.578, -75.639 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heat
Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Delaware in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Delaware, August 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5621594, 5621595, 5621596, 5621597.