Drought in Louisiana, July 1 to 31, 1998

Name: Drought in Louisiana, July 1 to 31, 1998
Start: 1998-07-01T00:00
End: 1998-07-31T23:59
Location: Louisiana

July 1 to 31, 1998 · NWS LIX · 27 events in 27 counties and zones

Unusually hot and dry weather conditions continued across much of southeast Louisiana during July. Average temperature departures were around 3 degrees above normal across the region.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 13 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: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 27

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 LIX wrote it up.

Unusually hot and dry weather conditions continued across much of southeast Louisiana during July. Average temperature departures were around 3 degrees above normal across the region. Three daily maximum temperatures records were set at New Orleans International Airport and five were set or tied at New Orleans Audubon Park. Although increased precipitation across the region during July resulted in some improvement of the dry conditions from the past two months, drought conditions continued with the Palmer Drought Index placing most of southeast Louisiana in moderate to mild drought at the end of July. However, severe drought conditions persisted in the immediate Baton Rouge area and areas to the west. Below normal precipitation occurred south of Lake Pontchartrain and near the coast, where an average monthly rainfall of 5.73 inches was observed compared to the normal of 6.82 inches. Near normal precipitation fell north of Lake Pontchartrain where an average monthly rainfall of 6.38 inches was measured. Damage estimates for crops will be described in a later issuance of Storm Data at the end of the growing season.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

27 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Assumption

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Assumption forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 29.901, -91.063 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Ascension

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Ascension forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN

Drought, East Baton Rouge

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: East Baton Rouge forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 30.538, -91.096 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, East Feliciana

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: East Feliciana forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 30.845, -91.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Iberville

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Iberville forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 30.259, -91.349 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Livingston

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Livingston forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN

Drought, Lower Jefferson

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lower Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN

Drought, Lower Lafourche

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lower Lafourche forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN

Drought, Lower Plaquemines

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lower Plaquemines forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN

Drought, Lower St. Bernard

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lower St. Bernard forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 29.874, -89.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lower Terrebonne

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lower Terrebonne forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN

Drought, Orleans

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Orleans forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN

Drought, Pointe Coupee

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Pointe Coupee forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 30.709, -91.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, St. Charles

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: St. Charles forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN

Drought, St. Helena

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: St. Helena forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 30.822, -90.710 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, St. James

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: St. James forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 30.026, -90.796 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, St. John the Baptist

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: St. John the Baptist forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 30.127, -90.471 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, St. Tammany

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: St. Tammany forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN

Drought, Tangipahoa

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Tangipahoa forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN

Drought, Upper Jefferson

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Upper Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN

Drought, Upper Lafourche

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Upper Lafourche forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN

Drought, Upper Plaquemines

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Upper Plaquemines forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN

Drought, Upper St. Bernard

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Upper St. Bernard forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 29.874, -89.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Upper Terrebonne

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Upper Terrebonne forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN

Drought, Washington

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 30.853, -90.040 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, West Baton Rouge

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: West Baton Rouge forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 30.463, -91.313 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, West Feliciana

When: July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: West Feliciana forecast zone
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 30.880, -91.420 (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

Every storm in Louisiana in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Louisiana, 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: 5666224, 5666225, 5666226, 5666227, 5666228, 5666229, 5666230, 5666231, 5666232, 5666233, 5666234, 5666235, 5666236, 5666237, 5666238, 5666239, 5666240, 5666241, 5666242, 5666243, 5666244, 5666245, 5666246, 5666247, 5666248, 5666249, 5666250.