Drought in Maryland, December 3 to 31, 1998

The run of unseasonably dry weather that began in July started to take its toll on water supplies throughout the Middle Atlantic States. On December 3rd the Susquehanna River Basin Commission issued a drought advisory for the river's entire 27,510 square mile drainage area in New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The commission urged the public and water suppliers to voluntarily conserve water, particularly indoor uses. The Susquehanna River that provides fresh water flow for the upper part of the Chesapeake Bay was at 25 percent of its normal flow for mid December. On December 15th, The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) issued a drought warning for all of Maryland. It advised that continued dry conditions could lead to severe water supply problems. The MDE recommended that water suppliers promote water-saving measures and that other water users (including private citizens) seek ways to reduce water consumption. Because of the continued dry weather the Maryland Department of Natural Resources ordered a statewide ban of all outdoor burning. This was rescinded in late December. December brought another month of below normal precipitation, especially in the northern part of the Maryland Eastern Shore. On a county weighted average, monthly precipitation totals ranged from 1.0 inches in Cecil County to 3.1 inches in Talbot County. All counties had less than their normal monthly precipitation, but Kent (at 1.5 inches) and Cecil Counties received less than half of their normal (41 and 27 percent of normal respectively) monthly amount.