Wilmington weather in October

In October, Wilmington sees average daytime highs of 66°F and overnight lows near 50°F, with 3.6 in of rain across 8.1 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 71°F in the first days to 61°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Wilmington's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wilmington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
66°
6th warmest
Overnight low
50°
7th coldest
Rainfall
3.6 in
8.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:19 AM – 5:15 PM
Cloud cover
52%
1st clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 71°F in the first days to 61°F by the end.

A typical October day in Wilmington reaches about 66°F in the afternoon and slips back to 50°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 56°F and 76°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 11°F cooler than September and about 11°F warmer than November.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17256
27155
37155
47155
57054
67054
76953
86953
96953
106852
116852
126751
136751
146751
156650
166650
176549
186549
196549
206448
216448
226348
236347
246347
256247
266246
276246
286146
296145
306045
316044

How October really feels in Wilmington

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

October sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Wilmington weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 8th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35545
45545
55545
65644
75644
85644
95644
105644
115644
125644
135545
145545
155644
165545
175545
185446
195446
205347
215347
225347
235347
245248
255248
265248
275248
285248
295248
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Wilmington gets around 3.6 in of rain over 8.1 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 27% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
231
330
430
529
628
728
827
927
1027
1127
1227
1327
1426
1526
1626
1726
1826
1926
2026
2126
2226
2326
2426
2526
2626
2726
2826
2925
3025
3125

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 75% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1541914121
2561813121
3571813111
4591812101
561181191
663171181
764171081
866161071
96816961
106816961
117015951
127215841
137314841
147514731
157614721
167813720
177913620
188112610
198112610
208211610
218311510
228311510
238410510
248410510
258410510
268510410
278510410
288510410
298710300
308710300
31889300

Wind in October

Winds average 7 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 78 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:04 AM to 6:36 AM, and sunset from 5:39 PM to 4:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:045:39
211.56:055:37
311.56:065:35
411.56:075:34
511.46:085:32
611.46:095:31
711.36:105:29
811.36:115:27
911.26:125:26
1011.26:135:24
1111.16:145:23
1211.16:155:21
1311.16:165:20
1411.06:175:18
1511.06:185:17
1610.96:195:15
1710.96:205:14
1810.86:215:12
1910.86:225:11
2010.86:245:09
2110.76:255:08
2210.76:265:07
2310.66:275:05
2410.66:285:04
2510.66:295:03
2610.56:305:02
2710.56:315:00
2810.46:334:59
2910.46:344:58
3010.46:354:57
3110.36:364:55

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.24 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 — October's 3.24 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.5Moderate
83.5Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.2Moderate
193.1Moderate
203.1Moderate
213.1Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Wilmington

In seasonPeak

In October, Wilmington sits inside its atlantic hurricane season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 October a good time to visit Wilmington?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
2.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Wilmington for sightseeing.

What to pack for Wilmington in October

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

In October, Wilmington sees daytime highs around 66°F and nights near 50°F. Worth packing: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

rain gear

UV index in Wilmington in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 4 — 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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where October 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
October 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).