Drought in Maryland

Events

450

Deaths

0

Injuries

0

Damage

$100 million

• Drought in Maryland, July 1 to 31, 1997$44 million · 10 eventsA very dry month, containing one 7-day heat wave, exacerbated drought-like conditions across much of the fertile farmland of Maryland. The weather in July proved to be the death knell for much of the crop yields, including corn, hay, alfalfa, and soybeans.
• Drought in Maryland, August 1 to 31, 1999$30 million · 14 eventsHigh pressure was the dominant weather feature across Maryland through the 24th of August. Most rain producing storm systems steered north of the region through the period.
• Drought in Maryland, November 1 to 30, 1998$20 million · 12 eventsThis was the fifth month in a row that drought conditions were seen across Central and Northern Maryland. Persistent high pressure over the Southeast U.S. forced most rain producing low pressure systems to steer north of the region.
• Drought in Maryland, November 1 to 30, 1998$6.0 million · 3 eventsA very dry period from July through November resulted in drought-like conditions across much of the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore. This caused significant crop damage and other drought-related problems throughout much of the area.
• Drought in Maryland, September 1 to 30, 199914 eventsRainfall from two land falling hurricanes made a tremendous impact on the drought that plagued the region since the summer of 1998. Most of the rain from these systems fell east of Frederick with the highest amounts near the Chesapeake Bay.
• Drought in Maryland, May 1 to 31, 199914 eventsHigh pressure was the dominant weather feature across Maryland during the month. This weather pattern directed rain producing low pressure systems north of the region and continued the climatological drought that has gripped the area since last summer.
• Drought in Maryland, July 1 to 31, 199914 eventsHigh pressure was the dominant weather feature across Maryland during the month. This forced most rain producing storm systems to steer north of the region and resulted in the continuation of the climatological, meteorological, and hydrological drought that has plagued the area…
• Drought in Maryland, June 1 to 30, 199914 eventsHigh pressure was the dominant weather feature across Maryland during the month. This weather pattern directed rain producing low pressure systems north of the region and continued the climatological drought that has gripped the area since last simmer.
• Drought in Maryland, October 1 to 31, 199813 eventsPersistent high pressure over the Southeast U.S. forced most rain producing low pressure centers to steer north of the region during the month.
• Drought in Maryland, December 1 to 31, 199812 eventsThis was the sixth month in a row that drought conditions were seen across Central and Northern Maryland. Persistent high pressure over the Southeast U.S. forced most precipitation producing low pressure systems to steer north of the region.
• Drought in Maryland, October 1 to 30, 200711 eventsSevere Drought conditions persisted through October. In early October, rainfall deficits totaled nearly 10 inches. However, a series of low pressure systems late in the month brought between 3 and 6 inches of rainfall to slightly reduce those deficits.
• Drought in Maryland, August 1 to 31, 19987 eventsPersistent high pressure brought unusually dry weather to central and lower southern Maryland. Only 0.91 inches of rain fell at Baltimore/Washington International Airport (MDZ014), compared with the monthly normal of 3.91 inches.
• Drought in Maryland, August 1 to 14, 20076 eventsA portion of the Mid Atlantic hydrologic service area experienced severe agricultural drought conditions from mid July through August 14th. This area extended from Washington County south east across the southern Baltimore metro into Calvert County.
• Drought in Maryland, June 30, 19975 eventsJune 1997 was drier than normal throughout the Maryland Eastern shore. On a county weighted average, deficits averaged between 1 and 2 inches. Only Talbot County was within an inch of normal.
• Drought in Maryland, October 31, 19975 eventsUnseasonably dry weather and below normal rainfall, which became worse during the unseasonably warm summer months, caused an estimated $135,000,000 dollars in crop losses throughout the state of Maryland.
• Drought in Maryland, August 31, 19975 eventsThe unseasonably hot and dry summer of 1997 caused the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman, to declare the state of Maryland a primary disaster area and make farmers eligible for low interest loans.
• Drought in Maryland, November 30, 19985 eventsUnseasonably dry weather continued through the month of November across the Maryland Eastern Shore. On a county weighted average only 1.1 to 1.5 inches of precipitation fell during the month.
• Drought in Maryland, September 30, 19985 eventsSeptember 1998 continued the trend of both warmer and drier than normal weather across the Delmarva Peninsula. The dry weather reduced the yields on crops throughout the region. On a county weighted average, monthly precipitation totals were between 1.
• Drought in Maryland, July 31, 19985 eventsJuly 1998 started a run of drier than normal weather across most of the Maryland Eastern Shore. On a county weighted average, rainfall totals for the month of July were between 1.2 and 2.4 inches and were about half of normal.
• Drought in Maryland, December 3 to 31, 19985 eventsThe run of unseasonably dry weather that began in July started to take its toll on water supplies throughout the Middle Atlantic States.
• Drought in Maryland, December 31, 19985 eventsDecember 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.
• Drought in Maryland, August 31, 19985 eventsUnseasonably dry weather continued to take its toll on crops across the Delmarva Peninsula during the month of August.
• Drought in Maryland, February 1 to 28, 19995 eventsOn a county weighted average February 1999 precipitation totals along the Eastern Shore ranged between 2.2 and 2.8 inches with the heaviest precipitation falling in Cecil County and lighter amounts farther south. Precipitation totals were between 70 and 100% of normal.
• Drought in Maryland, January 1 to 31, 19995 eventsJanuary 1999 finally broke a string of unseasonably dry months that prevailed during the second half of 1998. On a statewide average, January precipitation was 163% of normal. Along the Eastern Shore, monthly precipitation totals were higher and averaged around 200% of normal.
• Drought in Maryland, March 1 to 31, 19995 eventsMarch continued the trend of above normal precipitation during 1999 across the Maryland Eastern Shore. On a county weighted average, monthly precipitation totals ranged from 3.6 inches in Talbot County to 5.1 inches in Cecil County and was around 1.2 inches above normal.

Drought everywhereEvery kind of event in Maryland

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.