Delaware Climate
Top 5 Cities: Wilmington, Dover, Newark, Middletown, and Smyrna
This month in numbers
Delaware experienced a significantly warmer March 2026, with the average temperature reaching 9.22°C, an anomaly of +3.1°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranked as the 6th warmest March in 77 years of records. Maximum temperatures were particularly notable, ranking 4th highest on record at 15.56°C, a +3.9°C anomaly. Precipitation for March was considerably below average at 52.32 mm, ranking as the 68th driest March on record, and marking the eighth consecutive month of below-normal precipitation for the state. Globally, April 2026 saw the second warmest land temperature on record, with a +1.1°C anomaly, while the February–April 2026 period also ranked as the second warmest on record globally, with a +1.2°C anomaly.
What changed
Looking at the broader picture, the January–March 2026 average temperature for Delaware was 2.98°C, a +0.6°C anomaly, ranking 40th warmest in 77 years. This indicates a warming trend for the early part of the year, though not as extreme as the individual month of March. Delaware's 1-month temperature anomaly of +3.06°C placed it 59th out of 234 regions globally, while its 3-month anomaly of +0.61°C placed it 221st, suggesting that while March was very warm, the preceding months were closer to average. The entire NOAA Northeast US climate region, which includes Delaware, also experienced warmer-than-average conditions in March, with a group mean anomaly of +2.48°C.
What’s driving change?
The significantly warmer March in Delaware can be attributed to , with an early spring warm-up observed from March 8th through the 11th, where high temperatures reached into the 70s and 80s Fahrenheit. This contributed to the overall very warm monthly value despite some later cold periods. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a +0.11°C anomaly, though there is a strong forecast for El Niño to develop in the coming months, with a 61% probability for May-Jul and 87% for Jul-Sep. Delaware is currently experiencing two drought events, which represent 100% of the annual total for the past 12 months, indicating an unusual concentration of dry conditions. Additionally, there was one flood event in April 2026, also representing 100% of the annual total for the past 12 months. More information on these events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
The forecast indicates a strong likelihood of El Niño developing in the coming months, which could influence Delaware's weather patterns later in the year.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Delaware
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Delaware changing?
Delaware is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Delaware come from?
Climate data for Delaware comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Delaware climate data cover?
The Delaware climate profile covers Wilmington, Dover, Newark, Middletown and surrounding areas. Delaware climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the Delaware climate update refreshed?
The Delaware climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.