Hillsboro in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Hillsboro sees average daytime highs around 47°F and overnight lows near 36°F, with 19.9 in of precipitation over about 49 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 46°F in early December to 51°F by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Hillsboro's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Hillsboro's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
47°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
36°F
Precipitation
19.9 in
49 wet days
Avg wind
5 mph
Travel score
1.2
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Hillsboro in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 46°F in early December to 51°F by late February.

A typical winter day in Hillsboro reaches about 47°F and drops to 36°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

20°30°40°50°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Hillsboro

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 43 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
43
wind chill below the day's low

The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Hillsboro 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 36°6.817.11.98.91.0
Feb49° / 37°5.214.21.610.11.8
Mar54° / 39°5.917.30.911.62.7
Apr59° / 42°4.515.60.113.23.8
May66° / 47°2.710.6014.75.9
Jun72° / 52°1.67.2015.47.1
Jul80° / 56°0.42.2015.18.2
Aug80° / 57°0.52.5013.98.1
Sep74° / 53°1.76012.37.7
Oct62° / 46°4.211.5010.75.1
Nov51° / 40°7.017.30.59.32.0
Dec45° / 36°8.017.52.38.60.8

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Hillsboro gets around 19.9 in of rain and snow over 49 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%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 5 mph across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 48 min in early December to 10 h 42 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 1.4 kWh/m².

0123DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Hillsboro

In seasonPeak

In winter, Hillsboro overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Hillsboro's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit Hillsboro?

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.

1.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Hillsboro.

What to pack for Hillsboro in Winter

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

In winter, Hillsboro sees daytime highs around 47°F and nights near 36°F. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 49 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Hillsboro in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 50°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 44 mi away) is warmest in August at about 59°F and coldest in February near 49°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

50°55°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan50Bracing
Feb49Bracing
Mar50Bracing
Apr51Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun57Bracing
Jul58Bracing
Aug59Bracing
Sep58Bracing
Oct55Bracing
Nov53Bracing
Dec50Bracing

UV index in Hillsboro in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hillsboro peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateVery highVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 15UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Hillsboro 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 Hillsboro is worst in September — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1621 µg/m³Jan 117 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May10Good
Jun9Good
Jul8Good
Aug13Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Hillsboro?

Hillsboro sits at 45.5°N, 123.0°W, 194 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Forest Grove, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Hillsboro

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hillsboro has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 ft around an average of 174 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,532 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,806 ft.

The land around Hillsboro is covered by trees (44%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 2 miles, trees (49%), grassland (21%) and cropland (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (76%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
141 ft
10 miles
1,532 ft
50 miles
4,806 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Winter weather nearby: Forest Grove 5.6 mi · Aloha 6.2 mi · Bethany 6.2 mi · Beaverton 9.3 mi · Tigard 12 mi · Sherwood 14 mi · Tualatin 14 mi · Portland 15 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 Hillsboro (45.5229°, -122.9898°, elevation 194 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.