Climateby Month

Hilton Head Island, SC climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 12 ft elevation

Hilton Head Island has hot and oppressively humid summers and cool winters. Highs peak at 92°F in July and fall to 60°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 8 to 13 a month. By our comfort score the best months are March and April.

Warmest month
92°F
July normal high
Coldest month
40°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
118
45.0 in of precipitation
Muggy days a year
144
dew point 65°F or higher

How warm is Hilton Head Island?

Normal highs range from 60°F in January to 92°F in July.

40°60°80°100° January: normal high 60°F (16°C), low 40°F (4°C) 60° 40° February: normal high 64°F (18°C), low 43°F (6°C) March: normal high 70°F (21°C), low 49°F (9°C) April: normal high 77°F (25°C), low 56°F (13°C) May: normal high 84°F (29°C), low 64°F (18°C) June: normal high 89°F (32°C), low 71°F (22°C) July: normal high 92°F (33°C), low 75°F (24°C) 92° 75° August: normal high 90°F (32°C), low 74°F (23°C) September: normal high 86°F (30°C), low 70°F (21°C) October: normal high 78°F (26°C), low 59°F (15°C) November: normal high 69°F (21°C), low 48°F (9°C) December: normal high 63°F (17°C), low 43°F (6°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Hilton Head Island?

August has the most wet days (about 13); the year brings about 45 in of precipitation.

January: 9 wet days February: 9 wet days March: 9 wet days April: 8 wet days May: 8 wet days June: 13 wet days July: 13 wet days August: 13 wet days 13 September: 10 wet days October: 8 wet days November: 8 wet days 8 December: 10 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How humid is Hilton Head Island?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 31 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 1 muggy days April: 4 muggy days May: 15 muggy days June: 27 muggy days July: 31 muggy days 31 August: 30 muggy days September: 24 muggy days October: 10 muggy days November: 3 muggy days December: 1 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Beaufort MCAS, 19 mi N of the city center (the nearest airport with complete hourly records).

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 10.1 hours in December to 14.2 hours in June.

January: 10.3 hours of daylight February: 11.1 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.0 hours of daylight May: 13.8 hours of daylight June: 14.2 hours of daylight 14.2 July: 14.0 hours of daylight August: 13.3 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.4 hours of daylight November: 10.5 hours of daylight December: 10.1 hours of daylight 10.1 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Hilton Head Island, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysMuggy daysDaylight
January 60°F40°F 2.9 in9 0 10.3 h
February 64°F43°F 2.9 in9 0 11.1 h
March 70°F49°F 3.1 in9 1 12.0 h
April 77°F56°F 3.1 in8 4 13.0 h
May 84°F64°F 2.5 in8 15 13.8 h
June 89°F71°F 5.0 in13 27 14.2 h
July 92°F75°F 5.6 in13 31 14.0 h
August 90°F74°F 6.5 in13 30 13.3 h
September 86°F70°F 4.0 in10 24 12.4 h
October 78°F59°F 3.8 in8 10 11.4 h
November 69°F48°F 2.5 in8 3 10.5 h
December 63°F43°F 3.2 in10 1 10.1 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Hilton Head Island

By our comfort score, the best months are March and April.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 56951
Feb 611150
Mar 691650
Apr 701441
May 56556
Jun 420816
Jul 360824
Aug 370819
Sep 45269
Oct 621241
Nov 661540
Dec 581150

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Hilton Head Island

The last spring frost typically comes around Feb 28, and the first fall frost around Dec 3, leaving 279 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Hilton Head Island
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Feb 28after Mar 21
First fall frost (32°F)Dec 3before Nov 14
Last hard freeze (28°F)Feb 8after Mar 8
First hard freeze (28°F)Dec 27before Dec 1
Frost-free season279 daysunder 248 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Beaufort MCAS (USW00093831), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in South Carolina.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 105°F (July 29, 1993); the lowest was 18°F (January 7, 2014).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Hilton Head Island

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, frost dates, humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: Beaufort MCAS (USW00093831), 19 mi N of the city center, 37 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Beaufort MCAS (722085-93831), 19 mi N of the city center, 37 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: snowfall and snow depth (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error