Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Wilmington Island United States

In Wilmington Island, the summers are hot and oppressive, the winters are cold and windy, and it is wet and partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 44°F to 90°F and is rarely below 31°F or above 95°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best times of year to visit Wilmington Island for warm-weather activities are from early April to late May and from late September to late October.

The hot season lasts for 3.7 months, from May 26 to September 16, with an average daily high temperature above 84°F. The hottest month of the year in Wilmington Island is July, with an average high of 89°F and low of 75°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.0 months, from November 29 to February 29, with an average daily high temperature below 66°F. The coldest month of the year in Wilmington Island is January, with an average low of 44°F and high of 61°F.

In Wilmington Island, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Wilmington Island begins around September 13 and lasts for 3.1 months, ending around December 18.

The clearest month of the year in Wilmington Island is October, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 64% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around December 18 and lasts for 8.9 months, ending around September 13.

The cloudiest month of the year in Wilmington Island is July, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 56% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Wilmington Island varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 3.6 months, from May 30 to September 16, with a greater than 35% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Wilmington Island is August, with an average of 15.6 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 8.4 months, from September 16 to May 30. The month with the fewest wet days in Wilmington Island is November, with an average of 5.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Wilmington Island is August, with an average of 15.6 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 54% on August 6.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Wilmington Island experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Wilmington Island. The month with the most rain in Wilmington Island is August, with an average rainfall of 5.3 inches.

The month with the least rain in Wilmington Island is November, with an average rainfall of 2.2 inches.

The length of the day in Wilmington Island varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 10 hours, 3 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 14 hours, 15 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 6:17 AM on June 11, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 25 minutes later at 7:41 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 5:19 PM on December 2, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 15 minutes later at 8:34 PM on June 29.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Wilmington Island during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Wilmington Island experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 6.0 months, from April 26 to October 27, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 26% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Wilmington Island is July, with 30.4 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Wilmington Island is February, with 0.5 days that are muggy or worse.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Wilmington Island experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.5 months, from September 23 to May 9, with average wind speeds of more than 8.7 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Wilmington Island is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.8 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.5 months, from May 9 to September 23. The calmest month of the year in Wilmington Island is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.6 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Wilmington Island varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 5.1 months, from March 17 to August 21, with a peak percentage of 49% on July 18. The wind is most often from the north for 2.3 months, from October 19 to December 27, with a peak percentage of 36% on November 7. The wind is most often from the west for 2.7 months, from December 27 to March 17, with a peak percentage of 33% on January 1.

Wilmington Island is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.6 months, from June 10 to September 29, with an average temperature above 79°F. The month of the year in Wilmington Island with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 83°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.0 months, from December 8 to April 9, with an average temperature below 65°F. The month of the year in Wilmington Island with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 61°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Wilmington Island throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Wilmington Island for general outdoor tourist activities are from early April to late May and from late September to late October, with a peak score in the first week of May.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Wilmington Island for hot-weather activities are from early May to early July and from mid August to early October, with a peak score in the second week of September.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Wilmington Island typically lasts for 10 months (312 days), from around February 11 to around December 19, rarely starting after March 10, or ending before November 24.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Wilmington Island should appear around January 19, only rarely appearing before January 12 or after January 31.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.8 months, from April 5 to June 30, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Wilmington Island is May, with an average of 6.7 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.8 months, from November 10 to February 5, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.6 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Wilmington Island is December, with an average of 2.9 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Wilmington Island are 32.004 deg latitude, -80.974 deg longitude, and 10 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Wilmington Island is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 16 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 5 feet. Within 10 miles is also essentially flat (52 feet). Within 50 miles is essentially flat (207 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Wilmington Island is covered by herbaceous vegetation (63%) and artificial surfaces (26%), within 10 miles by herbaceous vegetation (46%) and water (34%), and within 50 miles by water (46%) and trees (26%).