How extreme does Wilmington's weather get?

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest days Wilmington has recorded — the outer limits of what its weather can do, and how far they sit beyond a normal day.

Based on 20 years of daily weather observations (2005–present), from the Wilmington International Airport station 5 km away. Updated through August 2025 — an all-time extreme only changes when a more extreme day actually occurs, so some dates are old. That is normal, not stale data.

The four kinds of extreme

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest single days Wilmington has recorded — each shown against what a normal day that time of year looks like.

🔥 Hottest day

103°F Jun 30, 2012

The three most extreme on record

1 103°F Jun 30, 2012

2 103°F Jul 1, 2012

3 102°F Jul 13, 2011

❄️ Coldest night

11°F Jan 6, 2018

The three most extreme on record

1 11°F Jan 6, 2018

2 11°F Jan 7, 2018

3 12°F Jan 8, 2018

🌧️ Most rain in one day

11.45 in Sep 28, 2010

The three most extreme on record

1 11.45 in Sep 28, 2010

2 9.58 in Sep 1, 2006

3 9.58 in Sep 15, 2018

In plain terms

Across the record, Wilmington has reached as high as 103°F and as low as 11°F. A single day has delivered over 11 inches of rain. Those are the outer edges worth knowing if you are moving here, planning a trip, or thinking about a house.

Methodology & sources

Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at New Rvr Mcaf (NOAA GHCN station USW00093727), about 70 km from the city centre.

How we build these numbers →

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