Sea level threats down to zip code
Type a coastal place name in Delaware and find local projections, maps and potential impacts on people, infrastructure, and much more with our interactive tool.
Delaware Coastal Flooding
Explore top DE risks:
Climate change causing more nuisance flooding in Delaware
Atlantic hurricane season is seeing more major storms
Today, Delaware has 22,000 people at risk of coastal flooding. By 2050, an additional 9,000 people are projected to be at risk due to sea level rise.
U.S. Cities We Could Lose to the Sea
A greater proportion of Delaware’s land area is at risk of coastal flooding than any of the lower 48 states except Florida and Louisiana. Approximately 5.4 percent, or 100 square miles, of Delaware’s land is currently within the 100-year coastal floodplain. By 2050, this is projected to increase to 7.1 percent or 130 square miles due to sea level rise.
Since 1950, human-caused global sea level rise has tipped the balance to account for two-thirds of coastal flood days in the U.S., according to our latest sea level rise analysis.
What's Happening with Coastal Flooding?
North Carolina
Sinking Atlantic Coastline Meets Rapidly Rising Seas
New research using GPS and prehistoric data has shown that nearly the entire coast is affected, from Massachusetts to Florida and parts of Maine... More
Virginia
Sea Level Rise Could Help Marshes Ease Flooding
Newly published modeling shows that a looming acceleration in sea level rise could further accelerate the spread of marshes worldwide... More
Georgia
What a Warmer Future Means for Southeastern Wildfires
Tinder-dry conditions that have resulted from months with little to no rain and toasty fall temperatures have allowed the fires to reach unusual heights. More
New York
Sandy’s Surge Was Extreme. It Could Become Normal
The risk posed by future storms like Sandy is only going to increase due to climate change. The potential for stronger storms and rising seas mean Sandy-level flooding could could occur once every 23 years as opposed to once every 400... More
