The Climate of Delaware

Delaware (DE) is one of the United States. Delaware is located on the east coast of the US and borders the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. The eastern part of Delaware is entirely waterfront: in the north on the Delaware River, which immediately forms the border between Delaware and New Jersey; the central part is on the Delaware Bay and the southeast is on the Atlantic Ocean. Thanks to the abundance of water in the vicinity, Delaware has a warm maritime climate (type Cfa according to the Köppen climate classification), with a microclimate in the north that can be shared with the temperate maritime climates, with a slight tendency towards a continental climate type.

Although Delaware is one of the smallest states in the US, there are sometimes significant differences in temperature and in the winter months especially in snowfall. Snow is relatively rare in the south, while the chance of snow in the period December through February is significantly higher in northern Delaware. As far as minimum temperatures are concerned, you sometimes see quite large temperature differences within a fairly small distance. During the summer period, which runs from June through September, it is warm throughout Delaware. The average maximum temperature during this period is between 25 and 31 degrees Celsius, where the mercury can regularly shoot up towards 35 degrees. Delaware has an autumn of about two months, before the climatic winter arrives in December, which lasts until February.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

The climate of Dover

Dover is the capital of the US state of Delaware. Dover is centrally located in Delaware and has a warm maritime climate (type Cfa according to the Köppen-Geiger climate system). Dover has four distinct seasons: a relatively mild winter, a spring of three months, a warm summer of almost four months and then an autumn that is slightly drier than the other months. In winter the average minimum temperature is just below freezing, during the day it is an average of 6 to 8 degrees in the period from December to March. Dover has an average of 5.3 days of snowfall per year, more than a hundred days with precipitation and a total precipitation sum of 1175 millimeters.

The climate of Newark

Newark is a small city in the state of Delaware west of the city of Wilmington. The University of Delaware is located in Newark. In addition to various studies, this university is mainly known for its figure skating department, which is among the best in the world. The city of Newark is part of the New Castle County metropolitan area.

Despite its more inland location, Newark has a temperate maritime climate with a number of characteristics that also belong to a continental climate. The precipitation here is approximately the same throughout the year, with the difference that precipitation in the winter months can sometimes come down as snow. Summers are pleasant and winters can be cold, but rarely extremely cold.

The climate of Wilmington

Wilmington is located in northern Delaware, where the Christina River flows into Delaware Bay. Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware and is located in the metropolitan area that includes Philadelphia. The city mainly makes a living from the smaller industry and there are a number of credit card companies that have their headquarters here.

Wilmington has a temperate maritime climate, influenced by the Delaware Bay. Summers are very pleasant, with quite a lot of rainfall. The rest of the year the average precipitation is quite high, it will regularly come down as snow in the winter months. The water temperature is surprisingly pleasant in the summer months. Due to its sheltered rural location, extremes are unlikely to occur here.