Delaware, 1998

Heat in Delaware, August 22 to 26, 1998

August 22 to 26, 1998 · NWS PHI · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A high pressure system that settled over the eastern part of the United States on the 20th and 21st prevented a weak backdoor cold front from reaching the Delmarva Peninsula on the 22nd. This started a heat wave that lasted up to five days across the peninsula through the 26th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
3

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 high pressure system that settled over the eastern part of the United States on the 20th and 21st prevented a weak backdoor cold front from reaching the Delmarva Peninsula on the 22nd. This started a heat wave that lasted up to five days across the peninsula through the 26th. The heat wave started to abate on the 25th and ended throughout the state on the 26th as cloudiness associated with Hurricane Bonnie and an approaching weak cold front prevented temperatures from reaching into the 90s. The hottest day for most areas was the 25th and included high temperatures of 96 degrees in Bridgeville and Georgetown (both Sussex County), 95 degrees in Prices Corner (New Castle County) and 91 degrees in Wilmington (New Castle County). No heat related injuries or fatalities were reported, but the combination of the high temperatures and low rainfall continued to stress agricultural interests in the state.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Inland Sussex

When
August 22, 10:00 AM EST to August 26, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Inland Sussex forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Kent

When
August 22, 10:00 AM EST to August 26, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Kent forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.096, -75.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, New Castle

When
August 22, 10:00 AM EST to August 26, 5:00 PM EST
Where
New Castle forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
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 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Delaware, August 1998

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: 5668177, 5668178, 5668179.