Wilmington, DE – Delaware may be heading into one of its better setups in recent years for a white Christmas, with new NOAA long-range outlooks showing a colder and wetter pattern developing from December 13–26 — the core holiday travel period for the Mid-Atlantic.
According to NOAA, Delaware sits inside an “Above Normal” precipitation zone extending from Virginia through New England. This suggests the potential for an active coastal storm track capable of delivering multiple systems to the region. If temperatures remain cold enough, some of those systems could produce accumulating snow.
Temperature trends lean in that direction. NOAA places most of Delaware within a “Leaning Below Normal” temperature corridor, indicating colder-than-average air may settle over the state for the second half of December. For a coastal state like Delaware, even a few degrees colder can determine whether a storm brings rain, a wintry mix, or snow — particularly around Wilmington, Newark, and the I-95 corridor.
According to NOAA meteorologists, colder-than-normal conditions paired with above-normal moisture historically increase white Christmas odds across the Mid-Atlantic. While Delaware typically sees lower odds compared to areas farther north, the pattern this year gives the state a notably better chance — especially for areas north of Dover where cold air tends to hold longer.
Forecasters caution that specific storm systems can’t be predicted yet, but the overall setup suggests multiple opportunities for winter weather between December 18–24, a climatologically active stretch for coastal systems. Travel impacts are possible if any storm aligns with the colder air mass overhead.
Residents planning holiday travel should monitor updated local forecasts as mid-December approaches and greater confidence develops around storm timing and snowfall potential.
