Climate and average weather in Delaware

In Delaware, the summers are hot, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are very cold, snowy, and mostly cloudy.

Best: late July to mid October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Delaware typically varies from 22°F to 83°F, and is rarely below 2°F or above 90°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Delaware for warm-weather activities are from early May to mid July and late July to mid October.

Hottest
Jul
83°
Coldest
Jan
22°
Wettest
Apr
4.5 in
Driest
Feb
2.7 in
Rain / yr
41.5 in
129 wet days
Daylight
9.1–14.9 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
869 ft
40.3°N
Clearest
Sep
51% cloud

Delaware is city in Ohio, United States; county seat of Delaware County.

Density
769/km²
people per km²
Founded
1808

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Delaware weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late July to mid October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Delaware, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 4.5 months, from May 16 to September 28, with daily high temperatures above 71°F. The hottest month of the year in Delaware is July, with an average high of 83°F and low of 65°F.

The cool season lasts 3.1 months, from December 1 to March 4, with daily high temperatures below 44°F. The coldest month of the year in Delaware is January, with an average low of 22°F and high of 35°F.

Days typically run about 17°F warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 19°F) in September.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan3522
Feb3924
Mar4932
Apr6242
May7153
Jun8062
Jul8365
Aug8164
Sep7556
Oct6345
Nov5035
Dec4027

How hot and cold Delaware really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about 10°F (around January 21), with roughly 150 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F) 43 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°F)Air high (°F)Feels-like low (°F)Air low (°F)
Jan35351122
Feb39391424
Mar49492432
Apr62623742
May71715253
Jun80806262
Jul84836565
Aug82816464
Sep75755656
Oct63634045
Nov50502835
Dec40401827

Average hourly temperature in Delaware

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 83°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 22°F.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Delaware weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 22°3.311.169.50.0
Feb39° / 24°2.79.24.610.40.0
Mar49° / 32°3.811.32.811.71.9
Apr62° / 42°4.512.70.8134.8
May71° / 53°4.413.5014.26.0
Jun80° / 62°4.111.9014.86.2
Jul83° / 65°3.611.4014.65.9
Aug81° / 64°2.99.6013.66.6
Sep75° / 56°2.98.8012.37.1
Oct63° / 45°2.99.20.210.95.6
Nov50° / 35°3.29.61.29.82.3
Dec40° / 27°3.410.23.99.20.1

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Delaware gets about 41.5 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 3.8 months, from around Mar 17 to Jul 10, peaking in May at about 44% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Oct 8.

April is the wettest month by volume, with 4.5 in over about 13 wet days; February is the driest, with 2.7 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetMay 1 · 44%Oct 8 · 28%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan3611
Feb339
Mar3611
Apr4213
May4414
Jun4012
Jul3611
Aug3210
Sep299
Oct309
Nov3210
Dec3410

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Delaware collects about 41.5 in of rain across 129 wet days — roughly 3.5 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. April is the wettest month with 4.5 in, while February is the driest at just 2.7 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 31% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0123456JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec3.32.73.84.54.44.13.62.92.92.93.23.4
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan3.3116
Feb2.795
Mar3.8113
Apr4.5131
May4.4140
Jun4.1120
Jul3.6110
Aug2.9100
Sep2.990
Oct2.990
Nov3.2101
Dec3.4104

Snow in Delaware

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Delaware averages about 19 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 30 to Apr 16 — about 5.6 months.

January is snowiest, with roughly 6 days of snow and an estimated 9 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 35 in of snow.

02468JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonJan 17
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan69
Feb59
Mar35
Apr11
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov12
Dec48

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Delaware, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around May 17 and lasts for 5.9 months, ending around November 11. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 56% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 12 and lasts for 6.1 months, ending around May 16. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 75% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecSep 1 · 58%Jan 15 · 24%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan2575
Feb2872
Mar3367
Apr3565
May4060
Jun4753
Jul5545
Aug5644
Sep5545
Oct4753
Nov3763
Dec2674

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 16, brings about 14 h 54 min of light; the shortest, around December 15, only 9 h 06 min — a swing of roughly 5 h 48 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.57:595:24
Feb10.47:355:59
Mar11.76:526:32
Apr13.06:017:04
May14.25:227:35
Jun14.85:077:58
Jul14.65:207:56
Aug13.65:487:25
Sep12.36:196:34
Oct10.96:505:45
Nov9.87:265:09
Dec9.27:545:03

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Delaware averages about 8 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 4 and 12 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 5.3 months, from around Jun 9 to Nov 17. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 12 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is January, down near 4 sunny days — about 62% fewer than the September peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedSep 812 daysJan 164 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan5Gloomy
Feb5Gloomy
Mar6Gloomy
Apr7Gloomy
May7Gloomy
Jun8Mixed
Jul10Mixed
Aug11Mixed
Sep12Mixed
Oct11Mixed
Nov8Gloomy
Dec5Gloomy

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Delaware, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 4.2 months, from around May 18 to September 22. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 69% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 23 to May 17, and January is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan 13 · 100%Jul 21 · 27%oppressivemuggycomfortabledryhumidcomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan1000000
Feb1000000
Mar982000
Apr926200
May66161350
Jun282024253
Jul1219263211
Aug172325287
Sep482315131
Oct869410
Nov982000
Dec991000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Delaware is typically light breeze, near 8 mph, and varies moderately with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 6.9 months, from around Oct 14 to May 12. The windiest month is January, averaging about 9 mph (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around May 13 to Oct 13, with August the calmest month at about 6 mph.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezebreezyJan 11 · 9 mphAug 6 · 6 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan9light breeze
Feb9light breeze
Mar9light breeze
Apr9light breeze
May8light breeze
Jun7calm
Jul6calm
Aug6calm
Sep7calm
Oct8light breeze
Nov9light breeze
Dec9light breeze

Best time to visit Delaware

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Delaware throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around early August, Delaware is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Delaware for general outdoor tourist activities is from early May to mid October, with a peak score in the third week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 15 · 7.2

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.0poor
Feb0.1poor
Mar1.9poor
Apr4.7fair
May6.0good
Jun6.2good
Jul5.9good
Aug6.5good
Sep7.0good
Oct5.6good
Nov2.3poor
Dec0.1poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Delaware for hot-weather activities is from early June to late September, with a peak score in the first week of August.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 7 · 6.8

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Delaware, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 83°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 35°F), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Delaware sees daytime highs around 83°F and nights near 65°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Delaware by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Delaware peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Average hourly UV index in Delaware

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 5.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb00
Mar4.50
Apr6.50
May84.5
Jun8.55.5
Jul85
Aug7.54
Sep60
Oct30
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Delaware by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Delaware is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Delaware typically lasts about 255 days, from around March 17 to November 26 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 19 to October 21.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonMar 1750%Apr 1990%Oct 2190%Nov 2650%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan2031
Feb2328
Mar5031
Apr8616
May990
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct928
Nov6230
Dec3231

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 50°F)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Delaware banks about 3,096 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

01,0002,0003,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°F·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr76
May364
Jun618
Jul743
Aug695
Sep472
Oct128
Nov0
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Delaware receives about 4.1 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.6 and 6.4 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Mar 20 to Sep 25. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.2 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.6 kWh/m² — roughly 74% less than the June peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJun 276.4 kWhDec 151.6 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan1.9Dim
Feb2.8Moderate
Mar3.9Moderate
Apr5.0Bright
May5.7Bright
Jun6.2Intense
Jul6.1Intense
Aug5.5Bright
Sep4.5Bright
Oct3.2Moderate
Nov2.1Moderate
Dec1.6Dim

Where is Delaware?

Delaware sits at 40.3°N, 83.1°W, 869 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Westerville, 14 mi away.

Topography around Delaware

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Delaware.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Delaware has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 ft around an average of 922 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 315 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,033 ft.

The land around Delaware is covered by trees (43%), artificial surfaces (23%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, cropland (43%), trees (29%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and cropland (56%) and trees (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
194 ft
10 miles
315 ft
50 miles
1,033 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Westerville 14 mi · Dublin 14 mi · Marysville 16 mi · Hilliard 19 mi · Marion 21 mi · Upper Arlington 21 mi · Gahanna 22 mi · Columbus 24 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Delaware (40.2987°, -83.068°, elevation 869 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).