• Delaware is still in a drought, despite heavy rainfall in New Castle County since July 1.
• The Brandywine and Christina Rivers are recovering.
• Kent and Sussex Counties are in “extreme drought.”

Some parts of Delaware saw about 4 inches of rainfall over the past few days, but the state could still be in a drought.

Delaware issued a statewide drought watch in June, and has not lifted it as of July 12. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of Kent and Sussex Counties are in an extreme drought as of July 9, with New Castle County in a wetter moderate or severe drought.

According to the drought monitor, historic impacts of extreme drought can cause crop loss and financial stress in the agriculture industry.

Rainfall totals from the past five days throughout Delaware are concentrated in northern New Castle County, which is not as drought stricken as downstate. A rainfall total map from July 7 to 12 shows 4 to 5 inches in Hockessin, and 3 inches around Wilmington and Claymont. The same map shows an inch or less throughout Kent and Sussex Counties.

Director of the Delaware Water Resources Center Gerald Kauffman said the recent rain in New Castle County has helped stream flows. The Brandywine River has seen 4 inches of rain so far this month, he said, and salt levels in the Christina River have declined to near normal levels.

“After a brutally hot Fourth of July holiday, the 4 inches of rain since the first of the month in the Brandywine River watershed for instance has forestalled the worsening of Delaware’s drought watch,” he said July 12.

Before that heat wave, Kauffman said groundwater levels were lower than normal. Kent and Sussex Counties rely on groundwater for most of their water supply.

But the rainfall could’ve been more useful. National Weather Service meteorologist Ray Martin said if the rain in northern Delaware fell over a longer period of time it would’ve been more helpful to stream and groundwater recharge. But the rainfall was good for reservoirs, which are critical to northern Delaware’s water supply.

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“It’s not going to quickly end the situation,” he said.

Temperatures are expected to hit the high 90s again this week, and heat indices could reach the triple digits. Kauffman said he and other figures in state agencies are meeting July 14 to look at the drought’s status statewide ahead of the next heat wave.

What are journalists missing from the state of Delaware? What would you most like WHYY News to cover? Let us know.

Delaware is once again earning national recognition for the strength of its arts community.

A new report from Southern Methodist University DataArts, the National Center for Arts Research, ranks Delaware No. 11 in the nation for arts vibrancy, while Wilmington placed 57th among the country’s 100 most arts-vibrant communities. The 10th annual Arts Vibrancy Index analyzed all 50 states and more than 900 communities using data on arts activity, audience participation and government support.

The recognition highlights Delaware’s long-standing investment in arts organizations and artists, as well as the role local audiences play in supporting cultural institutions across the state.

“That Delaware ranks eleventh in the nation for arts vibrancy reflects what sustained public investment in the arts can produce,” said Jessica Ball, director of the Delaware Division of the Arts. “Through annual appropriations …, Delaware has built a cultural infrastructure of national consequence.”

Wilmington’s recognition emphasizes the city’s concentration of arts organizations from established institutions like the Delaware Art Museum, Grand Opera House, Delaware Theatre Company, OperaDelaware and the Delaware Symphony Orchestra to community-based organizations including the Christina Cultural Arts Center, The Music School of Delaware and First State Ballet Theatre. Signature events such as the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival also draw audiences from across the region, contributing to the city’s cultural footprint.

How were the rankings tabulated?

Andrew Truscott, the Delaware Division of the Arts program officer for marketing and communications, said the rankings are based on measurable data rather than subjective opinions about artistic quality.

“In plain terms, the first being how much art the community produces, how many people show up for it and spend their own money on it, and then how much the government invests in it,” he said. “Those researchers out of those three buckets call those supply, demand and public support, and those roll up into 13 different measures, everything from the number of arts organizations and working artists, all the way to ticket revenue and public and private philanthropy.”

Storms hit Saturday shortly before 3 p.m. in Delaware County with limbs down on lines, wires down, plus lightning strikes, and quickly nearly 8,000 PECO customers were without power.

There was an accompanying deluge as well in parts of the county, with many low-lying areas flooding. The power outage number continued rising to 10,365 by 3:10 p.m., and to over 13,000 by 3:30. By 4 p.m. that number began to decline.

The first lightning strike dispatch was to a house in the 100 block of Edgewood Avenue in Haverford Township, and crews were dispatched minutes later to the Five Guys on Town Centre Drive in Concord Township.

Crews arriving on both scenes reported nothing was evident, but they would investigate further, according to radio traffic.

Fire stations were also sent to a water rescue in the 2800 block of East County Line Road in Haverford. Police arrived first and reported that half the vehicle was underwater. The officer soon located the driver, who had gotten out and made it to safety, according to radio traffic.

Police, fire and ambulance dispatches continued rapid fire at 3:30 p.m. PECO was asked to respond to numerous locations. Numerous alarm calls were also received at the county communications center.

A National Weather Service-issued severe thunderstorm warning was in effect for eastern Delaware County until 3:30 p.m. There was also a flash flood warning for the same area until 6:45 p.m.

One rainfall measurement was available at 3 p.m. That was St. Davids, where 0.71 inch of rain was recorded in less than 45 minutes, eventual reaching eight-tenths of an inch.

The Philadelphia International Airport recorded 0.32 inch of rain.

Sunny skies were expected to dominate the weather for the workweek, with high temperatures rising into the 90s on Wednesday and likely to stay there at least through Friday.