Wilmington weather in March

In March, Wilmington sees average daytime highs of 52°F and overnight lows near 36°F, with 4.1 in of precipitation across 10.7 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 48°F in the first days to 56°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Wilmington's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wilmington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
52°
9th warmest
Overnight low
36°
4th coldest
Precipitation
4.1 in
10.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:22 AM – 6:02 PM
Cloud cover
62%
11th clearest
Wind
8 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.07 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
out of 10

Wilmington is seat of New Castle County, and largest city in Delaware, United States.

Density
1,615/km²
people per km²
Founded
1638

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 48°F in the first days to 56°F by the end.

A typical March day in Wilmington reaches about 52°F in the afternoon and slips back to 36°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 39°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 8°F warmer than February and about 12°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14732
24732
34832
44833
54933
64933
74933
84933
95034
105034
115034
125135
135135
145135
155135
165236
175236
185236
195237
205337
215337
225338
235438
245438
255539
265539
275539
285640
295640
305740
315741

How March really feels in Wilmington

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 22 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
22
wind chill below the day's low

The story in March is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Wilmington weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan41° / 28°3.29.23.69.50.1
Feb43° / 29°3.08.73.210.40.6
Mar52° / 36°4.110.72.111.72.7
Apr63° / 46°3.610.50.3135.4
May73° / 55°3.510.9014.26.5
Jun81° / 65°3.910.4014.86.0
Jul86° / 70°3.910.9014.55.0
Aug83° / 68°3.910.4013.65.6
Sep77° / 61°4.29.6012.36.9
Oct66° / 50°3.68.1010.96.3
Nov55° / 40°3.07.90.29.83.6
Dec45° / 33°3.991.99.21.1

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24357
34357
44357
54456
64555
74555
84555
94555
104555
114555
124555
134654
144555
154456
164456
174357
184357
194258
204258
214258
224258
234060
244060
254060
264159
274159
284060
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Wilmington gets around 4.1 in of rain and snow over 10.7 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 34% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13510
2359
3359
4359
5349
6349
7349
8339
9338
10338
11328
12328
13328
14327
15327
16327
17327
18326
19336
20336
21346
22345
23355
24354
25364
26364
27363
28373
29373
30372
31372

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of March feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, March lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
210000
310000
410000
510000
610000
710000
810000
910000
1010000
119910
129910
139910
149910
159910
169910
179910
189910
199910
209910
219910
229910
239910
249820
259820
269820
279820
289820
299820
309820
319721

Wind in March

Winds average 8 mph in March, the windiest month of the year.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 78 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:45 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 6:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:455:46
211.16:435:47
311.16:425:48
411.16:405:49
511.26:395:50
611.26:375:51
711.36:365:53
811.36:345:54
911.46:335:55
1011.46:315:56
1111.56:305:57
1211.56:285:58
1311.56:265:59
1411.66:256:00
1511.66:236:01
1611.76:226:02
1711.76:206:03
1811.86:186:04
1911.86:176:05
2011.96:156:06
2111.96:136:07
2211.96:126:08
2312.06:106:09
2412.06:086:10
2512.16:076:11
2612.16:056:12
2712.26:036:13
2812.26:026:14
2912.36:006:16
3012.35:586:17
3112.35:576:18

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.07 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.85 kWh/m² to a high of 6.11 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.07 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
104.0Moderate
114.0Moderate
124.0Bright
134.0Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Wilmington

In seasonPeak

None of Wilmington's seasonal hazards are active in March. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Wilmington sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is March a good time to visit Wilmington?

Our two travel scores rate March for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

2.7
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Wilmington.

What to pack for Wilmington in March

From March's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In March, Wilmington sees daytime highs around 52°F and nights near 36°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Wilmington in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Wilmington peaks around July 11 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 8Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Wilmington in March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Wilmington is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Nov 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Wilmington?

Wilmington sits at 39.7°N, 75.5°W, 92 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bear, 9.9 mi away.

Topography around Wilmington

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Wilmington.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Wilmington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 364 ft around an average of 82 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 545 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,483 ft.

The land around Wilmington is covered by artificial surfaces (47%) and trees (32%) within 2 miles, trees (51%) within 10 miles, and trees (53%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
364 ft
10 miles
545 ft
50 miles
1,483 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: Bear 9.9 mi · Newark 12 mi · Chester 12 mi · West Chester 15 mi · Springfield 17 mi · Elkton 18 mi · Drexel Hill 19 mi · Havertown 21 mi

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
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

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 Wilmington (39.746°, -75.5466°, elevation 92 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).