Wilmington weather in January: Wilmington, Delaware: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January
Wilmington in January has a normal high of 41°F and a normal low of 26°F, a daily mean of 34°F, holding near 41°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 11 days in a normal January, 3.23 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 5°C and low of −4°C, 82 mm of precipitation and 15 cm of snow in January.
- NOAA stationWilmington Airport
- Station IDUSW00013781
- Location39.67°N 75.60°W
- Elevation79 ft (24 m)
- From the center6 miles
- Population73,176
- Jan 41° 26°
- Feb 44° 27°
- Mar 53° 34°
- Apr 64° 44°
- May 74° 53°
- Jun 82° 63°
- Jul 87° 68°
- Aug 85° 67°
- Sep 79° 59°
- Oct 67° 47°
- Nov 56° 37°
- Dec 46° 30°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Wilmington in January?
The normal high is 41°F and the normal low 26°F, for a daily mean of 33.5°F. January is 4.7°F cooler than December and 2.0°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in Wilmington and the 10th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 1°F, from 43°F on January 1 to 42°F on January 31. From one year to the next January's mean temperature typically moves about 4.1°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Januarys in three average between 29°F and 38°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 35%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 43°F | 27°F | 35% | 20% |
| January 8 | 42°F | 26°F | 35% | 19% |
| January 15 | 41°F | 25°F | 35% | 19% |
| January 22 | 41°F | 25°F | 35% | 19% |
| January 31 | 42°F | 25°F | 34% | 19% |
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 1, coldest night January 23)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 43°F | 27°F | 35% | 20% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 2 | 42°F | 27°F | 35% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 3 | 42°F | 27°F | 35% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 4 | 42°F | 27°F | 35% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 5 | 42°F | 27°F | 35% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 6 | 42°F | 26°F | 35% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 7 | 42°F | 26°F | 35% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 8 | 42°F | 26°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 9 | 42°F | 26°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 10 | 41°F | 26°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 11 | 41°F | 26°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 12 | 41°F | 26°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 13 | 41°F | 26°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 14 | 41°F | 26°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 15 | 41°F | 25°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 16 | 41°F | 25°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 17 | 41°F | 25°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 18 | 41°F | 25°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 19 | 41°F | 25°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 20 | 41°F | 25°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 21 | 41°F | 25°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 22 | 41°F | 25°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 23 | 41°F | 25°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 24 | 41°F | 25°F | 35% | 19% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 25 | 41°F | 25°F | 35% | 19% | 10 h |
| January 26 | 41°F | 25°F | 34% | 19% | 10 h |
| January 27 | 41°F | 25°F | 34% | 19% | 10 h |
| January 28 | 41°F | 25°F | 34% | 19% | 10 h |
| January 29 | 41°F | 25°F | 34% | 19% | 10 h |
| January 30 | 42°F | 25°F | 34% | 19% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 31 | 42°F | 25°F | 34% | 19% | 10 h 10 min |
- Normal high
- 41°FJanuary average
- Normal low
- 26°FJanuary average
- Precipitation
- 3.23 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 110.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 6.1 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 24
- Daylight
- 9 h 20 min to 10 h 10 minJanuary 1 to January 31
- Sunshine
- 68%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00013781; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Wilmington in January?
On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 35% on average, highest around January 2 (35%). In all, 3.23 in falls on 11 days of a normal January, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal January in Wilmington, 24 nights fall to freezing, 7 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 6.1 inches.
Snow falls on 4 days in a normal January, and an inch or more covers the ground on 5 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00013781.
What are the records for January in Wilmington?
The warmest January temperature on Wilmington's official record (since 1894) is 75°F, on January 26, 1950; the coldest is −14°F, on January 22, 1984. The wettest January brought 8.41 in (1978); the snowiest, 27.0 inches (1935).
The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 33.5°F: 2021 35.2°F (+1.7), 2022 30.9°F (−2.6), 2023 42.7°F (+9.2), 2024 35.2°F (+1.7), 2025 29.8°F (−3.7), 2026 29.8°F (−3.7). 3 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| January | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35.2°F | +1.7°F | 1.84 in |
| 2022 | 30.9°F | −2.6°F | 3.11 in |
| 2023 | 42.7°F | +9.2°F | 2.92 in |
| 2024 | 35.2°F | +1.7°F | 6.22 in |
| 2025 | 29.8°F | −3.7°F | 1.25 in |
| 2026 | 29.8°F | −3.7°F | 2.88 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record ILGthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00013781. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does January in Wilmington compare across Delaware?
Across the 6 places PlainClimate covers in Delaware, January normal highs run from 41°F in Wilmington to 46°F in Lewes; Wilmington's is 41°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.