Is Delaware experiencing a flash drought

It might be hard for Delawareans to see drought symptoms when they look out their front doors and see lush green lawns and flowering plants, but Kevin Brinson, Delaware's State Climatologist, warns that everything could change quickly.

April 2026 marked the ninth straight month in which precipitation measured below the state average, and looking back over the past two years, Brinson said there have only been three or four months with above-average precipitation.

"We've had a long period of time with below normal precipitation and that's playing out in the groundwater conditions that we're experiencing right now," Brinson said. "We are in a situation where as soon as it starts to get hot, if we don't get the precipitation soon, it could easily drop off very quickly."

To help prepare for this issue, the Center for Environmental Monitoring and Analysis (CEMA) at the University of Delaware and the Delaware Geological Survey (DGS) have developed a water tracker tool that monitors groundwater levels, precipitation and evapotranspiration, the process of water moving from the earth to the atmosphere.

"Precipitation and evapotranspiration are the two main components of the surface water balance," Brinson said. "The balance of that is really what drives the changes in groundwater availability. If you don't have enough precipitation coming in and too much evapotranspiration going out, your groundwater is going to drop."

Flash drought

The tool shows a map of the water condition status throughout Delaware ranging from very dry, indicated by red, to very wet, shown by blue. Right now, Delawareans will see a lot of red on the map when looking at water levels, despite the recent rains.

The tracker will allow the state to monitor conditions daily, which will be a big help in the event of a flash drought, the rapid onset of drought conditions.

Brinson explained that the general perception of a drought is a slow and evolving situation, but in the current situation Delaware finds itself in, if it gets hot and dry for a couple of weeks, the drought situation would change significantly in a short period of time.

Delaware most recently experienced a flash drought in the fall of 2024.

"Our concern is we don't want to be caught off guard if we have a flash drought occur in the future," Brinson said. "Now, we have a tool that can help us rapidly assess the situation and respond more quickly."

Statewide collaboration

The tracker will be a critical tool for the Delaware Water Supply Coordinating Council, a council established by the Delaware General Assembly to manage, protect and ensure the adequacy of a clean water supply throughout Delaware. One of the council's charges is to monitor drought conditions across the state.

Tina Callahan, associate director of CEMA, said the tool gives decision-makers easy access to current data.

"The water tracker is an example of the coordination and collaboration happening in Delaware to help improve the decision-making capabilities of groups like the water supply coordinating council," Callahan said.

The tool uses a combination of data from wells throughout Delaware, specifically wells being monitored by DGS, DNREC, and the Delaware Department of Agriculture. They also use the Delaware Environmental Observing System (DEOS) weather data, the United States Geological Survey streamflow data, and drought indices produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

From that data, they developed statistical models to estimate groundwater availability in 100 small watersheds in the state, which is validated using the DGS groundwater well network.

Overall, Brinson said the tool shows another example of the University collaborating with the state of Delaware to manage and protect its vital resources.

"Our groups serve the state by helping them to assess the availability of water in the environment and make recommendations for drought, and this tool helps meet that mission," Brinson said.