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I visited Wilmington briefly last year during the week before Thanksgiving. I was surprised to still see so much green on the trees in the area considering the time of year. It reminded me of when I lived in north central Florida, where there are many live oaks that stay green year round and often are draped with spanish moss.
I read a post in another thread on this forum about the temperature changes through the year in Wilmington, but is there any noticeable change of color in the trees there as the seasons change, or do things pretty much always look like they did during my visit last November (see photo below of downtown Wilmington) ?
Like north Florida, our climate is heavily influenced by the gulf stream: short, late winters.
This means that for our latitude, October, November, and December are unusually warm, while February, March, and April are unusually cool. By visiting in November, you were seeing a rather warm time of year for us.
We don't have very many deciduous trees along the coast, so even in cold weather it is not immediately apparent that the leaves are turning. It is only slightly more noticable 100 miles inland. If you go farther than that, say to Greensboro, you will begin to see vivid fall colors.
Like north Florida, our climate is heavily influenced by the gulf stream: short, late winters.
This means that for our latitude, October, November, and December are unusually warm, while February, March, and April are unusually cool. By visiting in November, you were seeing a rather warm time of year for us.
We don't have very many deciduous trees along the coast, so even in cold weather it is not immediately apparent that the leaves are turning. It is only slightly more noticable 100 miles inland. If you go farther than that, say to Greensboro, you will begin to see vivid fall colors.
Hearing that just made my day a lot better, Rubber Factory. No more red and gold trees. No more frigid cold days.
We do have four distinct seasons here in Wilmington:
Winter - Mid-December to mid-March.
Temperature: The average high is in the mid-50s and the average low is in the mid-30s. However - that DOESN'T mean we don't have cold spells. Temperatures can fall into the mid-10s on some nights, and some days, the temperature doesn't rise above freezing. We also have warm spells in the middle of winter - days where the temperature will rise to nearly 75 degrees. Usually we get a week or so (total) of weather during January and February.
Precipitation: This is Wilmington's "dry" season. We do get precip, though - it's not as if we go through the entire month without a few inches of precip. It snows here, too. Usually we get one good snow day each year. (A "good" snow day is when we get an inch or two; a "bad" snow day would be when it snows for two hours in the morning, accumulates to .5 inches, and melts away as the snow changes to rain.) Big snow days are possible; but they are few and far between. In December 1989, we had 20 inches of snow (Wilmington's ONLY White Christmas of the 20th century). On December 25, 1989, the snow had stopped falling, but it was still on the ground - and the temperature in Wilmington fell to an all-time low of 0 degrees.
If you happen to move to Wilmington, be prepared to see people lose their minds over an inch of snow.
Trees: About 40% of trees will completely lose their leaves, but the pine trees, which are most prominent in Wilmington, are able to withstand sub-freezing conditions. So, we really don't see a whole lot of bare trees here. We do have brown grass in the winter, though.
Spring - Late-March through Early-June.
Temperature: The average high in spring ranges from the low-60s in March to the mid-80s in June, and the upper-40s in March to the mid-60s in June. Temperatures in spring are a bit wild, though. You can have snow and temperatures in the 30s in late-March, while you can also have scorching heat with temperatures in the low-90s in late-March. Typically we get a few weeks of beautiful weather with temperatures in the 70s.
Severe weather: This is Wilmington's severe storm season. Tornadoes are rare, but they can touch down at this time of year.
Trees/plants: Beautiful time to visit Wilmington. Everything comes to life in April, and there are flowers everywhere.
Summer - Mid-June through Late-August.
Temperature: The average high during this season is around 90, and the average low is around 75. WHICH MEANS - hot, humid. It's primetime for the cockroaches, too. You'll hate them. Luckily, unlike other places in NC, you can drive five minutes to the beach, where the temperatures will remain 5-10 degrees cooler than in Wilmington, and there is a nice breeze and relatively low humidity.
Severe weather: Expect a thunderstorm every afternoon. Expect AT LEAST a landfalling tropical storm, too. We got lucky this year; nothing hit us. Hurricanes of category 1 or 2 strength will hit every 3-4 years, while major hurricanes will effect Wilmington once every decade or so.
Fall - Early-September through Early-December.
Temperature: Temperatures consistent (meaning they don't go from 40 to 80 degrees every other day). Temperatures will drop from the low-80s during the day in September to the low-60s during the day in December. Comfortable temperatures overnight, ranging from 40-60 degrees, with a few 30s and 20s beginning in late-October.
Precipitation: Meh. Not too bad. It seems like there are a lot of cloudy days, though.
Fall foliage: Trees will begin to lose their leaves in November. There are some nice colors, but like I said, many trees will stay green throughout the fall and winter.
Thank you rubberfactory and thank you Jacques for that very detailed description of Wilmington's seasons.
20 inches of snow in December, 1989? I bet that caused a bit of chaos out on the roads in Wilmington, lol.
I love the idea of living in an area close to the beach, but it's the vulnerability to hurricanes (I hadn't even thought about tornadoes) that worries me. How much damage do those category 1 & 2 hurricanes do when they hit? What about when the major hurricanes hit?
Quote:
Originally Posted by coffeebean330
Hearing that just made my day a lot better, Rubber Factory. No more red and gold trees. No more frigid cold days.
I'm somewhat familiar with your area, coffeebean330, as I used to know someone who worked at SUNY Cobleskill. It's beautiful up there in the summer, but I can understand you're wanting to get away from the snow in the winter. But you don't like the changing colors on the trees?
Last edited by manyroads; 12-01-2009 at 09:32 AM..
I took this photo yesterday while on campus, It was cold, in the 50's, for thanksgiving, but was back up to the mid 60's this week during the day. A nice change from the blustery Midwest weather that i grew up with!
haha yeah some of them are finally turning! It's actually kinda nice to have a late fall, made thanksgiving seem bright, instead of just cold.
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I bet that caused a bit of chaos out on the roads in Wilmington, lol.
