Delaware remains in a drought watch, even as New Jersey escalates to a more severe drought warning.
The First State remains in a drought watch because of its reservoir levels, which are all at good levels. However, wells along the coast of the Delaware Bay in Kent and Sussex counties are being monitored closely.
New Jersey declared a drought warning on Nov. 13 and is experiencing similar drought but worse conditions in their reservoirs and numerous wildfires around the state. Delaware’s reservoir levels in Newark and the Hoopes Reservoir in Wilmington are at levels that do not indicate a drought warning, yet.
The state is no longer in a record-breaking streak without measurable rain, but the past two months have been quite dry from Sussex County to New Castle County County. Wilmington and Georgetown have measured less than 2 inches of rain from Aug. 10 to Nov. 9. Despite some rain last weekend and some forecasted rain on Thursday, Nov. 14, drought conditions will persist.
The salt line in the Delaware River, which divides the salty ocean water from the freshwater upstream, is adjacent to the Philadelphia International Airport. It is usually south of the Christina River and hovers off Wilmington at this time of year, according to a map from the Delaware River Basin Commission. Reservoirs in the Delaware River Basin are released to repel the salt line from moving northward. Normal rainfall is the main reason the salt line stays just south of Wilmington.