Drought, Caroline
- When
- December 31, 11:59 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)
Drought in Maryland, December 31, 1998
December brought another month of below normal precipitation, especially in the northern part of the Maryland Eastern Shore. 1 inches in Talbot County.
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
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.
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 below 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) amount. December's temperature averaged between 4 and 5 degrees above normal and ranked as one of the ten warmest Decembers on record at most climatological stations.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Drought, Cecil
- When
- December 31, 11:59 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)
Drought, Kent
- When
- December 31, 11:59 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)
Drought, Queen Annes
- When
- December 31, 11:59 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)
Drought, Talbot
- When
- December 31, 11:59 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
- 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 Delaware, December 31, 1998
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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5673621, 5673622, 5673623, 5673624, 5673625.