Drought, Delaware Beaches / X E Sussex
- When
- August 31, 11:59 PM EST
- Where
- Delaware Beaches / X E Sussex forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought in Delaware, August 31, 1998
Unseasonably dry weather continued to take its toll on crops across the Delmarva Peninsula during the month of August. On a county weighted monthly average, all the counties in Delaware had below normal rainfall with the greatest deficiencies (70 percent of normal) in Sussex County.
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
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.
Unseasonably dry weather continued to take its toll on crops across the Delmarva Peninsula during the month of August. On a county weighted monthly average, all the counties in Delaware had below normal rainfall with the greatest deficiencies (70 percent of normal) in Sussex County. The largest crop losses across the state are expected to occur in Sussex County. The lack of rain was stressing trees throughout the state with premature browning of leaves occurring.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Drought, Inland Sussex
- When
- August 31, 11:59 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)
Drought, Kent
- When
- August 31, 11:59 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)
Drought, New Castle
- When
- August 31, 11:59 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
- Drought
- A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in California, August 31, 1998
- Wildfire and Damaging Wind in California, August 31, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Louisiana, August 31, 1998
- Damaging Winds in South Carolina, August 31, 1998
- Damaging Wind in North Carolina, August 31, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Mississippi, August 31, 1998
- Drought in New Jersey, August 31, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Alabama, August 31, 1998
- Drought in Pennsylvania, August 31, 1998
- Hail in Minnesota, August 31, 1998
- Drought in Maryland, August 31, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Florida, August 31, 1998
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: 5668203, 5668204, 5668205, 5668206.