Elsmere, Delaware Weather
Fireflies rise from the lawn. Day 76 of spring. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Elsmere weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJun 3Partly Cloudy——83°57°—
- ThursdayJun 4Overcast——88°58°+5°
- FridayJun 5Overcast——88°61°0°
- SaturdayJun 6Overcast12%—89°67°+1°
- SundayJun 7Light Showers36%0.06″84°67°-5°
- MondayJun 8Overcast22%—78°61°-6°
- TuesdayJun 9Partly Cloudy14%—80°57°+2°
Ozone at AQI 68 now. AQI up 37 in the last 6 hours — air quality is degrading. With UV 0.2 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 16 by mid-afternoon.
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 68 now. With UV 0.2 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 16 by mid-afternoon.
- Present
- AQI 68
- UV peak
- 0.2 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 16
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).
The higher the clouds, the finer the weather.
- Moonrise
- 2:51 AM
- Moonset
- 12:00 PM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Fireflies rise from the lawn
Elsmere at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 4°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: April 14 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jun 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest spring lettuce before it bolts. Sow heat-tolerant greens.
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of June 3, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Elsmere's warmest month is July (~76°F mean) and its coldest is January (~31°F). Rainfall peaks in July (5.2 inches) and bottoms out in February (3.0 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 3.7″ | 7 |
| February | 33° | 3.0″ | 6 |
| March | 41° | 4.7″ | 7 |
| April | 52° | 4.1″ | 7 |
| May | 62° | 3.8″ | 7 |
| June | 71° | 4.7″ | 8 |
| July | 76° | 5.2″ | 7 |
| August | 74° | 4.4″ | 6 |
| September | 67° | 5.1″ | 7 |
| October | 55° | 4.1″ | 6 |
| November | 45° | 3.3″ | 6 |
| December | 36° | 4.4″ | 7 |
Regional context
Elsmere's baseline climate, derived from NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals at the nearest reporting station, swings from a January mean of 31°F to a July mean of 76°F — a 45°F seasonal arc typical of the mid-latitude bands. Annual precipitation runs about 50.3 inches spread across roughly 81 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
Rainfall stays relatively even across the calendar: July tops out at 5.2 inches across 7.0 days with measurable rain, and February settles around 3.0 inches across 6.1 rainy days — a comparatively narrow seasonal range. The temperate, evenly-distributed pattern groups Elsmere with places like Newport, DE, Greenville, DE and Wilmington, DE, where seasonal storm tracks deliver moisture more uniformly than the continental interior.
The frost-sensitive growing window opens around mid-April, when overnight lows reliably clear freezing for cool-season crops like peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Warm-season transplants — tomatoes, peppers, and basil — typically wait two weeks past that date to avoid late spring cold snaps. The window closes around mid-November, when overnight lows resume dipping below freezing and frost-tender plants need protection or harvest. Those dates are 30-year averages; the actual frost-free window in a given year can vary by 10-14 days at either end. Neighborhood-scale variation in elevation and cold-air pooling means the practical last-frost date inside Elsmere can lag the regional mean by 5-10 days in low spots, and a bench position with good cold-air drainage can run a week ahead.
Similar climates: Newport, DE, Greenville, DE, Wilmington, DE, Wilmington Manor, DE, Edgemoor, DE.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Elsmere?
- Elsmere's last spring frost typically falls around mid-April, and the first fall frost arrives around mid-November.
- What is the rainy season in Elsmere?
- July is the wettest month with about 5.2 inches of rain on average; the city receives roughly 50 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Elsmere?
- July is typically warmest, averaging about 76°F.
- What is the coldest month in Elsmere?
- January is typically coldest, averaging about 31°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Elsmere?
- Cool-season crops (peas, lettuce) can be sown around the last spring frost (mid-April); warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers) wait until 1–2 weeks after.
- How many rainy days does Elsmere get?
- Elsmere averages about 81 rainy days per year.
- What hardiness zone is Elsmere?
- Elsmere's USDA hardiness zone is determined by its lowest average winter temperature; check the USDA's online lookup with the city ZIP for the current zone designation.
Climate
Elsmere, Delaware sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate zone. January means hover near 31°F while July averages 76°F — a 45°F seasonal swing.
Across the year, Elsmere receives about 50 inches of precipitation spread over roughly 81 rainy days.
The rhythm of the year is set by latitude (39.7°N), proximity to large water bodies, and elevation — all of which shape what grows here, when frost is likely, and what the weather story looks like day to day.