Wilmington Island in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Wilmington Island sees average daytime highs around 60°F and overnight lows near 48°F, with 10.1 in of rain over about 26 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 60°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Wilmington Island's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Wilmington Island's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 60°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 48°F
- Rainfall
- 10.1 in
- 26 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 mph
- Travel score
- 5.0
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Wilmington Island in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 60°F.
A typical winter day in Wilmington Island reaches about 60°F and drops to 48°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Wilmington Island
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Wilmington Island 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 | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58° / 46° | 3.4 | 8.8 | 10.1 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 60° / 48° | 3.3 | 8.7 | 10.8 | 5.0 |
| Mar | 65° / 53° | 3.1 | 8.2 | 11.8 | 6.4 |
| Apr | 72° / 60° | 2.7 | 6.8 | 12.8 | 7.3 |
| May | 78° / 68° | 2.3 | 8.4 | 13.6 | 7.1 |
| Jun | 84° / 75° | 4.6 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 5.0 |
| Jul | 86° / 77° | 4.5 | 16.3 | 13.9 | 4.2 |
| Aug | 85° / 77° | 5.9 | 18.8 | 13.2 | 4.2 |
| Sep | 82° / 73° | 4.8 | 13.6 | 12.2 | 5.7 |
| Oct | 75° / 65° | 3.8 | 7.8 | 11.2 | 7.4 |
| Nov | 67° / 55° | 2.3 | 6.3 | 10.4 | 6.9 |
| Dec | 61° / 49° | 3.4 | 8.7 | 9.9 | 5.3 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Wilmington Island gets around 10.1 in of rain over 26 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 10 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min in early December to 11 h 12 min 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 3.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Wilmington Island
None of Wilmington Island's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Wilmington Island sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Is winter a good time to visit Wilmington Island?
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 reasonable time to visit Wilmington Island for sightseeing.
What to pack for Wilmington Island in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Wilmington Island sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 48°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 26 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Wilmington Island in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 60°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 11 mi away) is warmest in August at about 84°F and coldest in February near 58°F.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 22 to Nov 16 — about 6.9 months when the water holds above 68°F.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 59 | 58 | 61 | 67 | 74 | 80 | 83 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 68 | 62 |
| Comfort | Cool | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | Cool |
| Feb | 58 | Bracing |
| Mar | 61 | Cool |
| Apr | 67 | Cool |
| May | 74 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 80 | Warm |
| Jul | 83 | Tropical |
| Aug | 84 | Tropical |
| Sep | 82 | Warm |
| Oct | 76 | Warm |
| Nov | 68 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 62 | Cool |
UV index in Wilmington Island in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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 Island peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | High | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | High |
| Mar | 7 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Wilmington Island in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Wilmington Island is worst in March — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 9 | 12 | 25 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Good |
| Feb | 12 | Moderate |
| Mar | 25 | Moderate |
| Apr | 14 | Moderate |
| May | 14 | Moderate |
| Jun | 15 | Moderate |
| Jul | 17 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 8 | Good |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
Where is Wilmington Island?
Wilmington Island sits at 32.0°N, 81.0°W, 10 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Savannah, 9.3 mi away.
Topography around Wilmington Island
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Wilmington Island.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Wilmington Island has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 118 ft around an average of 16 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 131 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 289 ft.
The land around Wilmington Island is covered by wetland (41%) and trees (37%) within 2 miles, water (38%) and wetland (33%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and water (34%) 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 Wilmington Island (32.0035°, -80.9737°, elevation 10 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.