Dover in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Dover sees average daytime highs around 35°F and overnight lows near 21°F, with 10.9 in of precipitation over about 29 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 42°F in early December to 37°F by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Dover's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Dover's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 35°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 21°F
- Precipitation
- 10.9 in
- 29 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 mph
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Dover in Winter
Over the season highs ease from about 42°F in early December to 37°F by late February.
A typical winter day in Dover reaches about 35°F and drops to 21°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Dover
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Dover weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32° / 19° | 3.4 | 9.3 | 6.8 | 9.2 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 34° / 20° | 3.2 | 9 | 6.1 | 10.2 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 42° / 28° | 4.2 | 10.9 | 5.4 | 11.6 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 54° / 38° | 4.0 | 10.5 | 1.4 | 13.1 | 3.1 |
| May | 64° / 48° | 3.0 | 10.3 | 0 | 14.4 | 5.5 |
| Jun | 74° / 58° | 3.6 | 10.8 | 0 | 15.1 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 79° / 64° | 3.2 | 10.7 | 0 | 14.9 | 6.5 |
| Aug | 78° / 62° | 3.3 | 9.2 | 0 | 13.8 | 6.9 |
| Sep | 71° / 55° | 3.4 | 8.3 | 0 | 12.3 | 6.9 |
| Oct | 59° / 45° | 4.2 | 9.5 | 0.2 | 10.8 | 4.8 |
| Nov | 48° / 35° | 3.6 | 9.2 | 1.2 | 9.5 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 38° / 26° | 4.4 | 10.4 | 5.2 | 8.9 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Dover gets around 10.9 in of rain and snow over 29 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 9 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 hours in early December to 10 h 48 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Dover
None of Dover's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Dover sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Is winter a good time to visit Dover?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dover.
What to pack for Dover in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Dover sees daytime highs around 35°F and nights near 21°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 29 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Dover in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 42°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 14 mi away) is warmest in August at about 65°F and coldest in March near 38°F.
The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 42 | 39 | 38 | 42 | 49 | 57 | 63 | 65 | 62 | 55 | 49 | 45 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | Bracing |
| Feb | 39 | Bracing |
| Mar | 38 | Bracing |
| Apr | 42 | Bracing |
| May | 49 | Bracing |
| Jun | 57 | Bracing |
| Jul | 63 | Cool |
| Aug | 65 | Cool |
| Sep | 62 | Cool |
| Oct | 55 | Bracing |
| Nov | 49 | Bracing |
| Dec | 45 | Bracing |
UV index in Dover in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dover peaks around July 10 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | High | Very high | Moderate | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 7 | High |
| Jul | 7 | Very high |
| Aug | 4 | Moderate |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Moderate |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Where is Dover?
Dover sits at 43.2°N, 70.9°W, 62 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rochester, 8.7 mi away.
Topography around Dover
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Dover.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Dover has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 315 ft around an average of 121 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 696 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,943 ft.
The land around Dover is covered by trees (62%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (75%) within 10 miles, and trees (67%) and water (27%) within 50 miles.
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
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 Dover (43.1979°, -70.8737°, elevation 62 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.