Drought in Pennsylvania, December 15, 1998

Name: Drought in Pennsylvania, December 15, 1998
Start: 1998-12-15T00:01
End: 1998-12-15T00:01
Location: Pennsylvania

December 15, 1998 · NWS CTP · 36 events in 36 counties and zones

36 drought, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 36 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: 36

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.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

36 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Adams

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Adams forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.872, -77.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Abnormally dry conditions through the Fall months developed into drought across all of central Pennsylvania by mid-December. Governor Tom Ridge declared drought emergency conditions in 9 central Pennsylvania counties, with drought warnings in others, calling for restrictions on water use and reduced water consumption of 10 to 15 percent. Precipitation departures from normal for the 4 months leading up to the declaration totaled more than 8 inches in a number of locations, with nearly all areas in deficit by more than 4 inches. Bans were placed on outdoor burning as numerous woodland and brush fires occurred across the region.

Drought, Bedford

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Bedford forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.007, -78.490 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Blair

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Blair forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.481, -78.349 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Cambria

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Cambria forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.495, -78.714 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Cameron

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Cameron forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.437, -78.204 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Clearfield

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Clearfield forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.000, -78.474 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Columbia

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Columbia forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.049, -76.405 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Cumberland

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Cumberland forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.164, -77.266 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Dauphin

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Dauphin forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.415, -76.779 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Elk

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Elk forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.425, -78.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Franklin

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.927, -77.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Fulton

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Fulton forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.925, -78.113 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Huntingdon

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Huntingdon forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.417, -77.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Juniata

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Juniata forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.531, -77.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lancaster

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Lancaster forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.042, -76.248 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lebanon

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Lebanon forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.367, -76.458 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, McKean

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: McKean forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.808, -78.569 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Mifflin

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Mifflin forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.610, -77.617 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Montour

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Montour forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.028, -76.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Northern Centre

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Northern Centre forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.919, -77.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Northern Clinton

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Northern Clinton forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.234, -77.638 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Northern Lycoming

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Northern Lycoming forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.343, -77.064 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Northumberland

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Northumberland forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.852, -76.709 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Perry

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Perry forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.398, -77.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Potter

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Potter forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.745, -77.896 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Schuylkill

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Schuylkill forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.706, -76.216 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Snyder

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Snyder forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.770, -77.070 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Somerset

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Somerset forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.972, -79.028 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Southern Centre

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Southern Centre forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.919, -77.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Southern Clinton

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Southern Clinton forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.234, -77.638 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Southern Lycoming

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Southern Lycoming forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.343, -77.064 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Sullivan

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Sullivan forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.446, -76.512 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Tioga

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Tioga forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.772, -77.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Union

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Union forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.963, -77.062 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Warren

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: Warren forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.815, -79.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Abnormally dry conditions through the Fall months developed into drought across all of central Pennsylvania by mid-December. Governor Tom Ridge declared drought emergency conditions in 9 central Pennsylvania counties with drought warnings in others, calling for restrictions on water use and reduced water consumption of 10 to 15 percent. Precipitation departures from normal for the 4 months leading up to the declaration totaled more than 8 inches in a number of locations, with nearly all areas in deficit by more than 4 inches. Bans were placed on outdoor burning as numerous woodland and brush fires occurred across the region.

Drought, York

When: December 15, 12:01 AM EST
Where: York forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.920, -76.726 (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 Pennsylvania in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, 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: 5671335, 5671336, 5671337, 5671338, 5671339, 5671438, 5671439, 5671440, 5671441, 5671442, 5671443, 5671444, 5671445, 5671446, 5671447, 5671448, 5671449, 5671450, 5671451, 5671452, 5671453, 5671454, 5671455, 5671456, 5671457, 5671458, 5671459, 5671460, 5671461, 5671462, 5671463, 5671560, 5671561, 5671562, 5671563, 5671564.