Drought, Delaware Beaches
- When
- December 31, 11:59 PM EST
- Where
- Delaware Beaches 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, December 31, 1998
December continued the trend of drier than normal weather, especially in the northern part of the state. On a county weighted average, monthly precipitation was 94 percent of normal in Sussex County, but only 34 percent of normal in New Castle 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.
December continued the trend of drier than normal weather, especially in the northern part of the state. On a county weighted average, monthly precipitation was 94 percent of normal in Sussex County, but only 34 percent of normal in New Castle County. The precipitation total of 1.02 inches at the New Castle County Airport was the 5th driest December of this century. December was also another warm month and averaged around 5 degrees above normal. The mean temperature of 41.0 degrees at the New Castle County Airport was 5.2 degrees above normal and was tied for the 7th warmest December of this century.
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
- December 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
- December 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
- December 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
- Rip Current in Puerto Rico, December 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, December 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 31, 1998
- Drought in New Jersey, December 31, 1998
- Heat in New Jersey, December 31, 1998
- Drought in Pennsylvania, December 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 31, 1998
- Winter Storm in Utah, December 31, 1998
- High Surf in Hawaii, December 31, 1998
- Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 31, 1998
- Heat in Pennsylvania, December 31, 1998
- Drought in Maryland, December 31, 1998
More
Every storm in Delaware in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Delaware, December 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: 5673626, 5673627, 5673628, 5673629.