Bluffton in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Bluffton sees average daytime highs around 60°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 9.9 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 38% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Bluffton's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Bluffton's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
60°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
47°F
Rainfall
9.9 in
26 wet days
Avg wind
10 mph
Travel score
5.0
3rd-best season
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Bluffton in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 60°F.

A typical winter day in Bluffton reaches about 60°F and drops to 47°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

30°40°50°60°70°80°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Bluffton

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.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Bluffton 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 46°3.38.510.14.7
Feb61° / 48°3.28.410.85.1
Mar66° / 53°3.17.911.86.5
Apr72° / 60°2.76.812.87.3
May79° / 68°2.48.513.67.1
Jun84° / 74°4.615.314.15.0
Jul87° / 77°4.816.613.94.1
Aug85° / 77°6.118.913.24.1
Sep82° / 73°4.613.212.25.7
Oct75° / 64°3.87.611.27.4
Nov67° / 54°2.46.310.36.9
Dec61° / 48°3.38.69.95.3

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Bluffton gets around 9.9 in of rain over 26 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 10 mph across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 hours in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.1 kWh/m².

012345DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Bluffton

In seasonPeak

None of Bluffton's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.

Bluffton sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit Bluffton?

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.

5.0
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a reasonable time to visit Bluffton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bluffton in Winter

From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In winter, Bluffton sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 47°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 26 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Bluffton in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 61°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 16 mi away) is warmest in August at about 84°F and coldest in February near 59°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 23 to Nov 17 — about 6.9 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°70°80°90°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan60Cool
Feb59Cool
Mar61Cool
Apr66Cool
May74Refreshing
Jun80Warm
Jul83Tropical
Aug84Tropical
Sep82Warm
Oct76Warm
Nov68Refreshing
Dec63Cool

UV index in Bluffton in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 Bluffton peaks around July 11 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 — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 11UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar7High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Bluffton in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Bluffton 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).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMar 1723 µg/m³Dec 158 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bluffton?

Bluffton sits at 32.2°N, 80.9°W, 20 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hilton Head, 6.2 mi away.

Topography around Bluffton

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Bluffton.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bluffton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 115 ft around an average of 39 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 210 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 305 ft.

The land around Bluffton is covered by trees (60%) within 2 miles, trees (47%), water (22%) and wetland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (52%) and water (31%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
115 ft
10 miles
210 ft
50 miles
305 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
Winter weather nearby: Hilton Head 6.2 mi · Hilton Head Island 7.5 mi · Wilmington Island 17 mi · Savannah 17 mi · Pooler 24 mi · Hinesville 51 mi · Statesboro 56 mi · Charleston 66 mi

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
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

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 Bluffton (32.2371°, -80.8604°, elevation 20 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.