Salisbury in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Salisbury sees average daytime highs around 48°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 9.8 in of precipitation over about 27 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 48°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Salisbury's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Salisbury's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 48°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 33°F
- Precipitation
- 9.8 in
- 27 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 mph
- Travel score
- 1.8
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Salisbury in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 48°F.
A typical winter day in Salisbury reaches about 48°F and drops to 33°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Salisbury
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 88 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Salisbury weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46° / 31° | 3.3 | 9.5 | 2.1 | 9.6 | 1.2 |
| Feb | 48° / 32° | 3.0 | 8.8 | 2.1 | 10.5 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 55° / 39° | 4.1 | 10.7 | 1.2 | 11.7 | 3.6 |
| Apr | 65° / 48° | 3.3 | 9.6 | 0.2 | 13 | 6.0 |
| May | 74° / 57° | 3.5 | 10.4 | 0 | 14.1 | 6.7 |
| Jun | 82° / 66° | 3.7 | 11.2 | 0 | 14.6 | 5.9 |
| Jul | 87° / 72° | 4.4 | 13 | 0 | 14.4 | 4.6 |
| Aug | 85° / 70° | 4.7 | 12 | 0 | 13.5 | 5.1 |
| Sep | 79° / 64° | 4.0 | 9.8 | 0 | 12.3 | 6.7 |
| Oct | 69° / 53° | 4.1 | 8.1 | 0 | 11 | 6.8 |
| Nov | 58° / 42° | 3.0 | 8.1 | 0 | 9.9 | 4.7 |
| Dec | 50° / 35° | 3.5 | 9.1 | 1 | 9.4 | 2.3 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Salisbury gets around 9.8 in of rain and snow over 27 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 9 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min in early December to 11 hours by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Salisbury
None of Salisbury's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Salisbury sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Is winter a good time to visit Salisbury?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Salisbury.
What to pack for Salisbury in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Salisbury sees daytime highs around 48°F and nights near 33°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 27 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Salisbury in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 45°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 30 mi away) is warmest in August at about 76°F and coldest in February near 41°F.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 17 to Oct 9 — about 3.8 months when the water holds above 68°F.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 44 | 41 | 43 | 49 | 58 | 68 | 75 | 76 | 73 | 67 | 58 | 50 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | Bracing |
| Feb | 41 | Bracing |
| Mar | 43 | Bracing |
| Apr | 49 | Bracing |
| May | 58 | Bracing |
| Jun | 68 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 75 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 76 | Warm |
| Sep | 73 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 67 | Cool |
| Nov | 58 | Bracing |
| Dec | 50 | Bracing |
UV index in Salisbury in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Salisbury peaks around July 10 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Where is Salisbury?
Salisbury sits at 38.4°N, 75.6°W, 23 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Easton, 39 mi away.
Topography around Salisbury
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Salisbury.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Salisbury has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 36 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 ft.
The land around Salisbury is covered by trees (45%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, trees (62%) within 10 miles, and water (47%) and trees (27%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Salisbury (38.3607°, -75.5994°, elevation 23 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.