Maryland, 1997

Heat in Maryland, February 19 to 22, 1997

February 19 to 22, 1997 · NWS PHI · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A persistent west to southwest flow at all levels of the atmosphere brought unseasonably warm weather into the Northeast from the afternoon of the 19th through the 22nd. This warm spell ended rather abruptly with a strong cold frontal passage on the 22nd.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
5

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 at all levels of the atmosphere brought unseasonably warm weather into the Northeast from the afternoon of the 19th through the 22nd. This warm spell ended rather abruptly with a strong cold frontal passage on the 22nd. The warmest temperatures reached into the lower and mid 70s and these included 74 degrees in Salisbury on the 21st and 70 degrees at the Baltimore/Washington International Airport on the 21st and 22nd.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Caroline

When
February 19, 11:00 AM EST to February 22, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Caroline forecast zone
Coordinates
38.872, -75.832 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Cecil

When
February 19, 11:00 AM EST to February 22, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Cecil forecast zone
Coordinates
39.562, -75.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Kent

When
February 19, 11:00 AM EST to February 22, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Kent forecast zone
Coordinates
39.236, -76.096 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Queen Annes

When
February 19, 11:00 AM EST to February 22, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Queen Annes forecast zone
Coordinates
39.038, -76.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Talbot

When
February 19, 11:00 AM EST to February 22, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Talbot forecast zone
Coordinates
38.749, -76.179 (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 Maryland in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, February 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: 5595145, 5595146, 5595147, 5595148, 5595149.