Wilmington climate
Wilmington (North Carolina, United States) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C65 °F, and about 1,374 mm54 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Wilmington climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1355 | 541 | 948 | 692.7 | 7 |
| Feb | 1558 | 643 | 1050 | 893.5 | 3 |
| Mar | 1864 | 948 | 1356 | 933.6 | 1 |
| Apr | 2271 | 1356 | 1864 | 803.2 | 0 |
| May | 2678 | 1865 | 2272 | 1084.3 | 0 |
| Jun | 2985 | 2373 | 2679 | 1295.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 3087 | 2476 | 2781 | 1536.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2475 | 2780 | 1777.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 2882 | 2170 | 2476 | 1777.0 | 0 |
| Oct | 2474 | 1661 | 2068 | 1114.4 | 0 |
| Nov | 1965 | 1051 | 1458 | 933.6 | 0 |
| Dec | 1559 | 745 | 1152 | 963.8 | 2 |
| Year | 3087 | 541 | 1965 | 1,37454 | 12 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 81% | 69% | 2.7 | 10:06 |
| Feb | 81% | 68% | 3.4 | 10:54 |
| Mar | 80% | 62% | 4.6 | 11:53 |
| Apr | 78% | 53% | 5.8 | 13:00 |
| May | 77% | 54% | 6.3 | 13:56 |
| Jun | 77% | 57% | 6.5 | 14:26 |
| Jul | 78% | 55% | 6.3 | 14:13 |
| Aug | 80% | 57% | 5.6 | 13:25 |
| Sep | 81% | 58% | 4.7 | 12:20 |
| Oct | 79% | 55% | 3.9 | 11:15 |
| Nov | 81% | 59% | 3.0 | 10:19 |
| Dec | 83% | 69% | 2.4 | 9:53 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Wilmington is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 30 °C87 °F and a low of 24 °C76 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 13 °C55 °F and lows 5 °C41 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 18.4 °C33.2 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,374 mm54 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 37% of the annual total. The wettest month is September (177 mm7.0 in), the driest is January (69 mm2.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 77% in May to 83% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 53%) are typical of April. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in August to 7 km/h (5 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 9.9 hours in December to 14.4 hours in June.
Best time to visit Wilmington
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April: average highs of 22 °C71 °F to 22 °C71 °F with 80 mm3.2 in to 80 mm3.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is very wet (177 mm7.0 in) and humid (80% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Wilmington
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1355 to 15 °C59 °F, lows 541 to 7 °C45 °F, about 84 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1864 to 26 °C78 °F, lows 948 to 18 °C65 °F, about 94 mm3.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2985 to 30 °C87 °F, lows 2373 to 24 °C76 °F, about 153 mm6.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1965 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 1051 to 21 °C70 °F, about 127 mm5.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Wilmington compares
Compared with Fayetteville, about 125 km to the northwest, Wilmington is on average 1.8 °C3.2 °F warmer and receives 11% more precipitation (1,374 mm54 in vs 1,237 mm49 in). The difference is largest in December (3.8 °C6.8 °F warmer).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Wilmington is the 59th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 15th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Taizhou (China, Cfa), Wenzhou (China, Cfa) and Lishui (China, Cfa).
Nearby places
- Fayetteville 125 km · 17 °C62 °F · 1,237 mm49 in
- Raleigh 182 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,186 mm47 in
- Charleston 245 km · 19 °C66 °F · 1,246 mm49 in
- Greensboro 264 km · 15 °C58 °F · 1,147 mm45 in
- High Point 268 km · 15 °C58 °F · 1,147 mm45 in
- Columbia 286 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,150 mm45 in
- Charlotte 287 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,146 mm45 in
- Winston-Salem 294 km · 14 °C58 °F · 1,147 mm45 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Wilmington?
July is the warmest month in Wilmington, with an average high of 30 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (76 °F).
What is the coldest month in Wilmington?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 13 °C (55 °F) and an average low of 5 °C (41 °F).
When does it rain the most in Wilmington?
September is the wettest month with about 177 mm (7.0 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 69 mm (2.7 in).
What is the best time to visit Wilmington?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.