Delaware, 1997

Heat in Delaware, March 1 to 2, 1997

March 1 to 2, 1997 · NWS PHI · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A persistent west to southwest flow of air throughout the Eastern United States brought unseasonably warm air into Delaware from the afternoon of February 26th through March 2nd. The warmest day through this spring preview was February 27th as many new record high temperatures were set.

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
0
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.

A persistent west to southwest flow of air throughout the Eastern United States brought unseasonably warm air into Delaware from the afternoon of February 26th through March 2nd. The warmest day through this spring preview was February 27th as many new record high temperatures were set. A series of cold fronts, one early on February 28th and a stronger second one on March 2nd brought temperatures closer to seasonal levels. At the New Castle County Airport, the high temperature of 73 degrees set a new record high for February 27th, breaking the old record of 70 degrees set in 1946. High temperatures across Central and Southern Delaware were as warm as the mid and upper 70s on February 27th. Just south of the area Salisbury, Maryland warmed to 78 degrees.

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
March 1, 12:00 AM EST to March 2, 5:00 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
March 1, 12:00 AM EST to March 2, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Inland Sussex forecast zone
Coordinates
38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Kent

When
March 1, 12:00 AM EST to March 2, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Kent forecast zone
Coordinates
39.096, -75.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, New Castle

When
March 1, 12:00 AM EST to March 2, 5:00 PM EST
Where
New Castle forecast zone
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, March 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: 5603236, 5603237, 5603238, 5603239.