Wilmington, North Carolina Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Wilmington weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 10:26 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Clear——83°70°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast36%—82°73°-1°
- WednesdaySep 23Thunderstorm49%—79°70°-3°
- ThursdaySep 24Drizzle45%0.01″73°66°-6°
- FridaySep 25Overcast15%—77°60°+4°
- SaturdaySep 26Clear——79°56°+2°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——80°58°+1°
Air quality now AQI 46 · Good
AQI 46 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 8.9 µg/m³ (AQI 49) with a 0.82 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 39 now. With UV 4.5 peaking around 1 PM under partly cloudy skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 17.
- Present
- AQI 39
- UV peak
- 4.5 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- partly cloudy
- Projected peak
- AQI 17
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 8.9 µg/m³ (AQI 49) with a 0.82 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.82
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:28 PM
- Moonset
- 1:48 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Wilmington at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 77°F (high 83°F, low 70°F), 4°F above the 73°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: March 19 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 7 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots; harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Wilmington
- Mon83°70°3%
- Tue82°73°36%
- Wed79°70°49%
- Thu73°66°45%
- Fri77°60°15%
- Sat79°56°2%
- Sun80°58°2%
- Mon81°61°6%
- Tue81°63°12%
- Wed83°68°17%
- Thu84°67°15%
- Fri85°66°23%
- Sat78°71°29%
- Sun76°72°19%
- Mon81°68°26%
- Tue67°56°29%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Wilmington
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Wilmington — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Late season
As of September 21, the first frost (around November 20) is about 9 weeks away. Frost-tender plants keep producing until then. This city's planting calendar for September: plant beans, squash, fall brassicas, and carrots; harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Wilmington
SPC includes Wilmington in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Wilmington
Wilmington sits in New Hanover County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 26m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 52m — a swing of +4h 34m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Charlotte, the state’s largest city, lies about 181 miles to the WNW. The nearest town Wilmington tracks is Fayetteville, roughly 87 miles to the NW.
Air quality in Wilmington
Air quality in Wilmington’s county has trended dirtier since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2020 (median AQI 34). See the full air-quality history for Wilmington.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| February | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes |
| April | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, summer squash |
| June | beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| August | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| November | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| December | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
July is Wilmington's warmest stretch (~82°F) and January its coldest (~47°F); precipitation crests in September at 8.7 inches and ebbs in April to 3.1 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 3.8″ | 6 |
| February | 49° | 3.5″ | 6 |
| March | 55° | 4.0″ | 6 |
| April | 64° | 3.1″ | 5 |
| May | 71° | 4.5″ | 6 |
| June | 78° | 5.7″ | 7 |
| July | 82° | 6.9″ | 9 |
| August | 80° | 8.2″ | 10 |
| September | 75° | 8.7″ | 7 |
| October | 66° | 4.7″ | 5 |
| November | 56° | 3.6″ | 5 |
| December | 50° | 3.7″ | 6 |
Regional context
Similar climates Kings Grant, NC, Hightsville, NC, Silver Lake, NC
Wilmington swings from 47°F in January to 82°F in July (35°F) per NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals; precipitation in Wilmington runs about 60.1 inches on roughly 79 measurable days.
Wilmington gets its most rain in September, 8.7 inches across 7.0 days, and its least in April, 3.1 inches across 4.7 days, though May through September is wetter overall than November through March. The closest comparisons in North Carolina are places like Kings Grant, NC, Hightsville, NC and Silver Lake, NC.
Around March 19, Wilmington sheds its freezing nights — lettuce, chard, arugula, and mustard greens go into Wilmington's beds. Heat-demanding starts go out a fortnight on in Wilmington, after the soil warms and cold snaps clear. Frost returns to Wilmington near November 20, ending the tender-crop season. That date is a median: Wilmington freezes sooner in half of years.
Similar climates: Kings Grant, NC, Hightsville, NC, Silver Lake, NC, Wrightsville Beach, NC, Wrightsboro, NC.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Wilmington?
- Frost typically leaves Wilmington by March 19 and returns to Wilmington near November 20.
- What is the rainy season in Wilmington?
- September is the wettest month in Wilmington, about 8.7 inches on average; the year totals roughly 60 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Wilmington?
- Wilmington peaks in July, when the mean runs near 82°F.
- What is the coldest month in Wilmington?
- January is Wilmington's coldest month, averaging about 47°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Wilmington?
- Hardy spring crops go in near March 19 in Wilmington; tender peppers and squash wait 10–14 days.
- How many rainy days does Wilmington get?
- Wilmington averages about 79 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
- What hardiness zone is Wilmington?
- Because Wilmington bottoms near 47°F in January, that winter low sets Wilmington's USDA zone — verify by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Wilmington?
- Wilmington's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Wilmington?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Wilmington in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Wilmington?
- Current conditions for Wilmington and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Wilmington forecast updated?
- The Wilmington forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Wilmington?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Wilmington are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Wilmington?
- The next few days in Wilmington's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Wilmington sits at 34.2°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Wilmington
- 28401
- 28402
- 28403
- 28405
- 28406
- 28408
- 28409
- 28411
- 28412