Wilmington Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

How Often it Snows in Wilmington

The next two tables list monthly and yearly totals for amount of snow and how many days it snows at least 0.1 inches (0.25 centimetres).

10-year snowfall averages at Wilmington, 2010 to 2019

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
1.9	January	8.0	20.4
2.7	February	10.3	26.3
1.4	March	4.1	10.5
0.0	April	0.0	0.0
0.1	November	0.3	0.8
0.5	December	2.5	6.3
6.6	Year	25.4	64.4

30-year snowfall averages at Wilmington, 1991 to 2020

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
3.5	January	6.1	15.5
3.5	February	7.8	19.8
1.7	March	3.1	7.9
0.1	April	0.1	0.3
0.2	November	0.2	0.5
1.7	December	2.9	7.4
10.7	Year	20.2	51.3

These averages don't show how much the snowfall in Wilmington varies from year to year.

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 4.1 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive no snow for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 6.1 inches, while the lightest years get under 1.6 inches.

New snow for February ranges from 9.8 or more inches in heavy snowfall years to 1.3 inches or less in light years.

When Wilmington Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of winter for Wilmington usually arrives in December. Less commonly, it snows as early as November or holds off until January.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in March. For one out of every three or four years, Wilmington's last snowfall occurs as early as February. In unusual years an April snow flurry drops a dusting of snow over the city.

Wilmington is normally free of snow every year from May to October.

How Many Snowstorms Wilmington Gets

Half the days with snowfall in Wilmington leave just a skiff, amounting to less than an inch, of fresh snow on the ground. For five days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur once annually. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are rare events that don't happen every year.

Number of days per month and year on average in Wilmington with a total snowfall of at least 1, 3, 5 or 10 inches

1 inch 2.5 cm	3 inches 7.6 cm		5 inches 12.7 cm	10 inches 25.4 cm
1.4	0.6	January	0.2	0.2
2.0	0.8	February	0.5	0.1
0.9	0.3	March	0.1	0.0
0.1	0.0	April	0.0	0.0
0.1	0.1	November	0.0	0.0
0.8	0.2	December	0.1	0.0
5.3	2.0	Year	0.9	0.3

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Wilmington

For about 17 days in winter, Wilmington has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Typically, on five days a year the snow covering Wilmington builds up to five or more inches deep.

Average total days per month and year in Wilmington with snow depth of at least 1, 3, 5 or 10 inches on the ground

1 inch 2.5 cm	3 inches 7.6 cm		5 inches 12.7 cm	10 inches 25.4 cm
5.4	2.6	January	1.5	0.3
6.8	3.9	February	2.5	1.0
2.6	1.0	March	0.5	0.0
0.0	0.0	November	0.0	0.0
2.1	0.7	December	0.4	0.1
16.9	8.2	Year	4.9	1.4