Wilmington weather by month & the best time to visit
🇺🇸 United States · beach resort · humid subtropical climate
The best time to visit Wilmington is April — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 79/100), with May and October close behind. Wilmington averages about 2,584 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 23°C / 73°F and roughly 84 mm of rain in April.
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- Sun hours / year
- 2,584
- Sunniest month
- April
- Peak score
- 79/100
- Rain / year
- 1,401 mm
- Midday UV at peak
- 8 (very high)
- Sea at warmest
- 30°C / 86°F
- Population
- 162k
- Elevation
- 8 m
When is the best time to visit Wilmington?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Wilmington is April, then May and October. The dullest month is January (27/100, 73 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Wilmington?
Wilmington gets a lot of sun: around 2,584 hours a year. 52 Sunshine Score points separate April (79) from January (27), so the month you pick matters. It ranks #175 of 580 destinations in United States for annual sunshine, above the national median of 2,279 hours. The year's 1,401 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27 | 12° / 54°F | 1° / 34°F | 73 mm | 2 | 12° / 54°F |
| February | 38 | 14° / 57°F | 2° / 36°F | 97 mm | 4 | 12° / 54°F |
| March | 64 | 18° / 64°F | 6° / 43°F | 92 mm | 5 | 15° / 59°F |
| April | 79 | 23° / 73°F | 11° / 52°F | 84 mm | 7 | 18° / 64°F |
| May | 73 | 28° / 82°F | 16° / 61°F | 113 mm | 8 | 24° / 75°F |
| June | 70 | 31° / 88°F | 20° / 68°F | 134 mm | 8 | 27° / 81°F |
| July | 60 | 33° / 91°F | 22° / 72°F | 150 mm | 8 | 30° / 86°F |
| August | 67 | 32° / 90°F | 21° / 70°F | 175 mm | 8 | 28° / 82°F |
| September | 67 | 28° / 82°F | 18° / 64°F | 161 mm | 7 | 26° / 79°F |
| October | 72 | 24° / 75°F | 12° / 54°F | 119 mm | 5 | 23° / 73°F |
| November | 63 | 18° / 64°F | 6° / 43°F | 99 mm | 3 | 20° / 68°F |
| December | 38 | 14° / 57°F | 3° / 37°F | 104 mm | 2 | 13° / 55°F |
Sea temperature in Wilmington by month
The sea off Wilmington is warmest in July at around 30°C / 86°F, and coolest in January at 12°C / 54°F. The water sits at a comfortable 21°C or warmer roughly 6 months a year. Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
See Wilmington on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Richlands United States · 67 km · best in Apr · 2,584 h sun/yr
- Myrtle Beach United States · 115 km · best in Apr · 2,556 h sun/yr
- Fayetteville United States · 120 km · best in Oct · 2,515 h sun/yr
- Raleigh/Durham United States · 196 km · best in Oct · 2,515 h sun/yr
- Charleston United States · 250 km · best in Nov · 2,712 h sun/yr
- Greensboro United States · 275 km · best in Oct · 2,429 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- New Bern United States · 119 km · 2,506 h sun/yr · best in Apr
- Greenville United States · 159 km · 2,506 h sun/yr · best in Apr
Head-to-head
How Wilmington compares month by month: Wilmington vs Fayetteville · Wilmington vs Myrtle Beach · Wilmington vs Richlands · all comparisons
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