How dry is Delaware? How does Delaware stack up against the rest of the country and historically? DELAWARE IN FACT provides the numbers.
Current condition:
- Kent County and Sussex County are in a "moderate drought"
Crops:
- Kent and Sussex County crops are “excessively dry"
Rain needed to end current soil-moisture drought:
- Northern Delaware: 4.81 inches
- Southern Delaware: 7.83 inches
How present conditions in Delaware compare to the rest of the country:
- Delaware is currently within the driest 10% of the United States
Delaware's longest and most severe hydrological (water-supply) drought:
- 1961 to 1971
- The federal government declared a limited national emergency in parts of Delaware and directed all federal agencies to assist communities with critical water-supply problems in the drought-stricken area.
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS)