Dover weather by month & the best time to visit
🇺🇸 United States · beach resort · humid subtropical climate
The best time to visit Dover is May — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 75/100), with September and June close behind. Dover averages about 2,266 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 23°C / 73°F and roughly 94 mm of rain in May.
Jump to: month-by-month table · sea temperature · nearby alternatives · embed this data
- Sun hours / year
- 2,266
- Sunniest month
- May
- Peak score
- 75/100
- Rain / year
- 1,152 mm
- Snow / year
- ≈72 cm
- Midday UV at peak
- 7 (high)
- Sea at warmest
- 29°C / 84°F
- Population
- 39k
- Elevation
- Sea level
When is the best time to visit Dover?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Dover is May, then September and June. The dullest month is January (0/100, 71 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Dover?
Dover gets a moderate 2,266 hours of sunshine a year. 75 Sunshine Score points separate May (75) from January (0), so the month you pick matters. It ranks #295 of 580 destinations in United States for annual sunshine, below the national median of 2,279 hours. The year's 1,152 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 5° / 41°F | -3° / 27°F | 71 mm | 1 | 5° / 41°F |
| February | 0 | 6° / 43°F | -2° / 28°F | 73 mm | 2 | 5° / 41°F |
| March | 19 | 11° / 52°F | 1° / 34°F | 89 mm | 4 | 9° / 48°F |
| April | 57 | 17° / 63°F | 7° / 45°F | 91 mm | 5 | 13° / 55°F |
| May | 75 | 23° / 73°F | 12° / 54°F | 94 mm | 6 | 19° / 66°F |
| June | 72 | 28° / 82°F | 18° / 64°F | 110 mm | 7 | 26° / 79°F |
| July | 71 | 31° / 88°F | 21° / 70°F | 113 mm | 7 | 29° / 84°F |
| August | 71 | 30° / 86°F | 20° / 68°F | 117 mm | 7 | 28° / 82°F |
| September | 73 | 26° / 79°F | 17° / 63°F | 103 mm | 5 | 24° / 75°F |
| October | 72 | 20° / 68°F | 10° / 50°F | 109 mm | 3 | 19° / 66°F |
| November | 32 | 13° / 55°F | 4° / 39°F | 83 mm | 2 | 14° / 57°F |
| December | 0 | 8° / 46°F | 0° / 32°F | 99 mm | 1 | 6° / 43°F |
Sea temperature in Dover by month
The sea off Dover is warmest in July at around 29°C / 84°F, and coolest in January at 5°C / 41°F. The water sits at a comfortable 21°C or warmer roughly 4 months a year. Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
See Dover on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Atlantic City United States · 85 km · best in Sep · 2,260 h sun/yr
- Philadelphia United States · 85 km · best in May · 2,267 h sun/yr
- Baltimore United States · 104 km · best in Oct · 2,241 h sun/yr
- Trenton United States · 139 km · best in May · 2,166 h sun/yr
- Harrisburg United States · 162 km · best in May · 2,080 h sun/yr
- Allentown/Bethlehem United States · 169 km · best in May · 2,074 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Salisbury United States · 88 km · 2,368 h sun/yr · best in May
- Ocean City United States · 96 km · 2,368 h sun/yr · best in Sep
- Lancaster United States · 131 km · 2,080 h sun/yr · best in May
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