Salisbury
Salisbury Geography & Climate
Geography
Salisbury sits at the head of navigation on the Wicomico River, near the centre of the Delmarva Peninsula.
The peninsula
Delmarva — the name compresses Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, which share it — is a low, flat, sandy landmass about 290 kilometres long, with the Chesapeake Bay on one side and the Atlantic on the other. Almost none of it rises above twenty metres. That flatness, the sandy loam soils and the long growing season made it good farming country, and the near-total absence of relief means the rivers are tidal far inland.
The Wicomico
A tidal tributary of the Chesapeake, navigable to Salisbury, which is why the town is where it is. The port still handles barge traffic, principally petroleum and grain, making it one of the smaller working ports on the bay.
Two coasts
The bay side is marsh, tidal creek and low island — some of it sinking and eroding fast. The Atlantic side is barrier island backed by lagoon, with Assateague the longest undeveloped stretch.
Water everywhere
The water table is close to the surface, which is why the peninsula has so many wooded swamps, why drainage ditches line the fields, and why the drinking water comes from shallow aquifers that are vulnerable to what is spread on the land.
A sinking bay side
The Chesapeake shore of the peninsula is losing ground on two counts: the land is still subsiding after the collapse of the glacial forebulge, and sea level is rising. The combined rate here is among the highest on the American Atlantic coast, and low islands such as Smith Island have lost most of their area, with settlements abandoned within living memory.
Wildlife
The peninsula lies on the Atlantic flyway, and the marshes hold enormous numbers of wintering waterfowl.
Climate Patterns
Salisbury has a humid subtropical climate, softened at both ends by the Atlantic and the Chesapeake.
Summer
June to September is hot and humid, with highs of 30 to 31°C and nights around 20°C. Humidity is the defining feature — this is a low, wet, flat peninsula — and afternoon thunderstorms are frequent. The sea breeze reaches the coast but weakens well before it gets this far inland.
Winter
December to February is mild: highs of 8 to 10°C and lows around freezing, with roughly 25 centimetres of snow in an average year. The surrounding water keeps hard freezes short. Winter storms more often bring rain, or the awkward mixture of snow and rain that makes travel difficult without accumulating.
Spring and autumn
Both are long and good. Autumn in particular stays warm into November and is the best season on the coast.
Hurricanes and nor’easters
The season runs June to November. Direct hurricane strikes are uncommon, but the peninsula is very low and exposed to storm surge and to nor’easters in winter, which can push water into the bay and flood the marsh communities.
Why the coast differs
Salisbury sits far enough inland that the sea breeze rarely reaches it, so summer afternoons here are several degrees hotter and noticeably stickier than at Ocean City forty minutes east. In winter the relationship reverses and the coast is the milder of the two. It is worth knowing when choosing where to stay in August.
Rainfall
Around 1,150 millimetres a year, fairly evenly spread with a summer maximum.