Delaware is still drought-stricken, but coming rain will provide some relief from the persistent dry pattern.

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows the entire state in a severe drought. Regionally, the drought has worsened, with parts of Burlington, Atlantic and Ocean counties in New Jersey one step above severe, at an extreme drought.

Wilmington has not had measurable rain in 41 days, and Georgetown hasn’t had measurable rain in 42 days. Both of those figures are records for most consecutive days without measurable rain. The previous records were toppled last week.

However, there is finally rain in the forecast on Sunday night. According to National Weather Service meteorologist Joe DeSilva, up to a half of an inch is possible between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.

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While that amount of rain will do little to alleviate the severe drought, DeSilva said it’s not nothing.

“It will be quite beneficial considering we’ve been so dry over the past month and a half or so,” he said. “So while it likely won’t improve the drought conditions all that much, it will be rather appreciable.”

After Sunday, Thursday and Friday offer another chance at more rain.

Before the rain, there is an enhanced risk of fire spread in the entire state. The conditions are exceptionally dry, and a red flag warning was in effect Friday because of high wind gusts and dry conditions. While it will not be as gusty, fire risk persists. An outdoor burn ban from the state fire marshal has been in effect for nearly a month.

When will it rain in New Castle County?

The best chance of rain in New Castle County is between 7 p.m. on Sunday through 6 a.m. on Monday, according to forecasts from the weather service.

Saturday: Sunny, high 57, low 36

Sunday: Clouds increase with rain in the evening, high 62, low 54

Veterans Day: Clearing, high 70, low 47

When will it rain in Kent County?

The best chance of rain in Kent County is between 7 p.m. on Sunday through 6 a.m. on Monday, according to forecasts from the weather service.

Saturday: Sunny, high 57, low 37

Sunday: Clouds increase to rain in the evening, high 64, low 55

Veterans Day: Clearing, high 71, low 46

When will it rain in Sussex County?

The best chance of rain in Sussex County is between 7 p.m. on Sunday through 6 a.m. on Monday, according to forecasts from the weather service.

Saturday: Sunny, high 59, low 35

Sunday: Clouds increase to rain in the evening, high 65, low 56

Veterans Day: Clearing, high 74, low 47

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If the drought conditions gripping a record swath of the U.S. worsen, officials in the Philadelphia region may need to take steps to protect the city’s drinking water.

Dry conditions in the Philly region have caused the salt front — or the area of the Delaware River where water becomes too salty to drink — to creep north toward the intake where Philadelphia draws most of its drinking water.

“There’s not an issue yet, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be an issue,” said Amy Shallcross, manager of Water Resource Operations at the Delaware River Basin Commission. “We are really concerned.”

The largest of Philly’s three drinking water intakes draws water from a tidal portion of the Delaware River in the far Northeast section of Philadelphia, where fresh water flowing down the river mixes with salty water from the Delaware Bay. At a certain point in this salinity gradient, the concentration of chloride could exceed an EPA guideline for how salty drinking water should be.  This salt front moves based on factors including upstream rainfall, the tide cycle and, increasingly, sea level rise.

Dry conditions can cause the salt front to move northward because less fresh water is falling as rain and flowing into the river through creeks and streams. Officials with the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), a regional body that manages the river system across state lines, can counteract this by requesting freshwater be released from upstream reservoirs to push the salt front back downstream. Even in non-drought times, reservoirs release water into the river as needed to meet targets for the amount of water flow at specific points.