Maryland, 1998

Heat in Maryland, December 1 to 7, 1998

December 1 to 7, 1998 · NWS PHI · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A very strong and persistent ridge of high pressure at all levels of the atmosphere remained anchored across the western Atlantic Ocean and the Middle and South Atlantic States from November 28th through December 7th. The result was 10 consecutive days of record breaking, unseasonably warm weather across the Maryland Eastern Shore.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
5

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 very strong and persistent ridge of high pressure at all levels of the atmosphere remained anchored across the western Atlantic Ocean and the Middle and South Atlantic States from November 28th through December 7th. The result was 10 consecutive days of record breaking, unseasonably warm weather across the Maryland Eastern Shore. Many locations set new all-time monthly record high temperatures for December. The two warmest days were December 6th and 7th. High temperatures both days were 77 degrees at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Salisbury. The high temperature in Easton on the 7th was 73 degrees. In a paradoxical scene for early December, people were buying Christmas trees with shorts on. A cold front moved through the region late in the day on the 7th and dropped temperatures closer to normal levels.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Caroline

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 7, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Caroline forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.872, -75.832 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Cecil

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 7, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Cecil forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.562, -75.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Kent

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 7, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Kent forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.236, -76.096 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Queen Annes

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 7, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Queen Annes forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.038, -76.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Talbot

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 7, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Talbot forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.749, -76.179 (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 Maryland in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5675136, 5675137, 5675138, 5675139, 5675140.