Dover, Delaware Weather
Day 93 of summer. Read today’s microseason across nine climate regions →
Dover weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 1:40 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Overcast later28%—75°67°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast67%0.20″69°59°-6°
- WednesdaySep 23Light Rain41%0.19″67°59°-2°
- ThursdaySep 24Light Drizzle18%0.02″64°58°-3°
- FridaySep 25Overcast38%—69°53°+5°
- SaturdaySep 26Light Drizzle38%0.07″67°54°-2°
- SundaySep 27Drizzle16%0.20″62°58°-5°
Air quality now AQI 39 · Good
AQI 39 (Good), driven by Ozone. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). Ozone at AQI 33 now. With UV 3.3 peaking around 1 PM under partly cloudy skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 10.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 33 now. With UV 3.3 peaking around 1 PM under partly cloudy skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 10.
- Present
- AQI 33
- UV peak
- 3.3 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- partly cloudy
- Projected peak
- AQI 10
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:31 PM
- Moonset
- 1:23 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Dover at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 71°F (high 75°F, low 67°F), 3°F above the 68°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: April 4 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 2 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
15-Day Forecast — Dover
- Mon75°67°28%
- Tue69°59°67%
- Wed67°59°41%
- Thu64°58°18%
- Fri69°53°38%
- Sat67°54°38%
- Sun62°58°16%
- Mon62°57°9%
- Tue62°60°8%
- Wed69°60°13%
- Thu70°57°10%
- Fri68°52°14%
- Sat75°56°16%
- Sun77°59°35%
- Mon74°61°36%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Dover
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Dover — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically November 4) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Dover
SPC includes Dover in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWNONENo severe risk
- DAY 3NONENo severe risk
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Dover
Dover sits in Kent County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 55m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 25m — a swing of +5h 31m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Dover is the state’s largest city.
Air quality in Dover
Air quality in Dover’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2020 (median AQI 39). See the full air-quality history for Dover.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, summer squash, garlic |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
July is Dover's warmest stretch (~78°F) and January its coldest (~36°F); precipitation crests in August at 4.9 inches and ebbs in February to 3.1 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 3.4″ | 10 |
| February | 38° | 3.1″ | 9 |
| March | 45° | 4.2″ | 10 |
| April | 56° | 3.7″ | 10 |
| May | 64° | 3.9″ | 11 |
| June | 73° | 4.6″ | 9 |
| July | 78° | 4.1″ | 9 |
| August | 76° | 4.9″ | 8 |
| September | 70° | 4.3″ | 8 |
| October | 59° | 4.1″ | 8 |
| November | 49° | 3.4″ | 7 |
| December | 40° | 4.0″ | 10 |
Regional context
Similar climates Kent Acres, DE, Rodney Village, DE, Highland Acres, DE
Dover swings from 36°F in January to 78°F in July (42°F) per NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals; precipitation in Dover runs about 47.6 inches on roughly 110 measurable days.
Rainfall in Dover splits evenly between the seasons: August tops out at 4.9 inches over 8.2 rainy days, and February logs 3.1 inches across 9.2 — neither half of Dover's year dominates. That even rhythm groups Dover with places like Kent Acres, DE, Rodney Village, DE and Highland Acres, DE.
Around April 4, Dover sheds its freezing nights — peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes go into Dover's beds. Dover's heat-lovers — tomatoes, peppers, squash — hold off until Dover's frost risk clears, 10-14 days on. Frost returns to Dover near November 4, ending the tender-crop season. Open lawns in Dover whiten first when frost returns.
Similar climates: Kent Acres, DE, Rodney Village, DE, Highland Acres, DE, Dover Base Housing, DE, Little Creek, DE.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Dover?
- In Dover, expect the last spring frost near April 4; Dover's first autumn frost comes around November 4.
- What is the rainy season in Dover?
- August is the wettest month in Dover, about 4.9 inches on average; the year totals roughly 48 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Dover?
- On average July tops the year in Dover at about 78°F.
- What is the coldest month in Dover?
- The coldest stretch in Dover falls in January, around 36°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Dover?
- Around April 4, start frost-hardy crops in Dover; tomatoes and basil belong a fortnight later.
- How many rainy days does Dover get?
- Dover records around 110 days of measurable precipitation annually.
- What hardiness zone is Dover?
- Since January in Dover averages 36°F, Dover's USDA zone follows that floor — confirm it by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Dover?
- Dover's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Dover?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Dover in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Dover?
- Current conditions for Dover and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Dover forecast updated?
- The Dover forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Dover?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Dover are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Dover?
- The next few days in Dover's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Dover sits at 39.2°N; its climate zone is warm-summer humid continental (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Dover
- 19901
- 19902
- 19904
- 19905
- 19906