Heat in Delaware, July 20 to 24, 1998

Name: Heat in Delaware, July 20 to 24, 1998
Start: 1998-07-20T09:00
End: 1998-07-24T17:00
Location: Delaware

July 20 to 24, 1998 · NWS PHI · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A heat wave affected Delaware during the work week of July 20th. The hottest day for the heat wave and the summer (in central and southern Delaware) was the 22nd.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 8
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 heat wave affected Delaware during the work week of July 20th. The hottest day for the heat wave and the summer (in central and southern Delaware) was the 22nd. There were at least eight heat related injuries throughout the state. A weak trough brought in slightly cooler air on the 23rd. A strong cold front that moved through the Delmarva Peninsula early in the day on the 24th brought in a much drier and cooler air mass for the upcoming weekend (July 25th and 26th). The highest temperatures included 100 degrees in Lewes (Sussex County), 99 degrees in Georgetown (Sussex County), 98 degrees in Bridgeville (Sussex County), 96 degrees in Dover (Kent County), 94 degrees in Odessa (New Castle County) and 92 degrees at the New Castle County Airport. For three consecutive days, customers of Delmarva Power and Light set power usage records and reached 3,053 megawatts at 6 p.m. EDT on the 22nd.

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: July 20, 9:00 AM EST to July 24, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Delaware Beaches forecast zone
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 38.683, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Inland Sussex

When: July 20, 9:00 AM EST to July 24, 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: July 20, 9:00 AM EST to July 24, 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: July 20, 9:00 AM EST to July 23, 5:00 PM EST
Where: New Castle forecast zone
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
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

Every storm in Delaware in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Delaware, July 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: 5664680, 5664681, 5664682, 5664683.