Hilo weather in January

In January, Hilo sees average daytime highs of 73°F and overnight lows near 67°F, with 5.8 in of rain across 16.8 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 73°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Hilo's 1st-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hilo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
73°
10th warmest
Overnight low
67°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
5.8 in
16.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
7:02 AM – 5:57 PM
Cloud cover
48%
1st clearest
Wind
7 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Hilo is human settlement and census-designated place in Hawaii, United States.

Density
287/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 73°F through the month.

A typical January day in Hilo reaches about 73°F in the afternoon and slips back to 67°F overnight — a 5°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 70°F and 75°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

60°65°70°75°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17368
27368
37368
47368
57368
67368
77368
87367
97367
107367
117367
127367
137367
147367
157367
167367
177367
187367
197367
207367
217367
227367
237367
247367
257367
267367
277367
287367
297367
307367
317367

Hilo weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan73° / 67°5.816.810.96.0
Feb72° / 67°6.617.211.35.5
Mar72° / 67°9.123.511.94.7
Apr73° / 68°7.124.812.44.5
May74° / 69°5.723.712.94.9
Jun75° / 70°4.724.113.24.8
Jul76° / 71°5.725.813.14.6
Aug77° / 72°6.725.612.74.6
Sep77° / 72°4.52212.15.1
Oct77° / 71°5.42311.55.0
Nov75° / 70°7.523.211.14.8
Dec73° / 68°7.922.210.85.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 28% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27129
37129
47129
57129
67228
77228
87228
97228
107228
117129
127129
137129
147030
157030
166931
176931
186931
196832
206832
216733
226733
236733
246733
256733
266733
276832
286832
296832
306931
316931

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Hilo gets around 5.8 in of rain over 16.8 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 55% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
159
258
357
456
555
654
754
853
953
1053
1153
1253
1353
1454
1554
1654
1754
1854
1955
2055
2155
2255
2355
2455
2555
2655
2755
2855
2954
3054
3154

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 56% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 29% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
10115435
20115534
30115633
40125632
50125632
60125731
70125830
81125730
91125829
101125829
111125928
121125928
131125928
142125828
152135728
162135728
172135629
182135629
192145529
202145529
212145628
222155528
232155528
242155528
252165428
261165528
271165528
281165528
292175427
302175427
312185327

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167light breeze
177light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:59 AM to 7:01 AM, and sunset from 5:48 PM to 6:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.86:595:48
210.86:595:49
310.86:595:49
410.87:005:50
510.87:005:51
610.97:005:51
710.97:005:52
810.97:015:52
910.97:015:53
1010.97:015:54
1110.97:015:54
1210.97:015:55
1310.97:025:56
1410.97:025:56
1510.97:025:57
1610.97:025:57
1710.97:025:58
1810.97:025:59
1911.07:025:59
2011.07:026:00
2111.07:026:01
2211.07:026:01
2311.07:026:02
2411.07:026:03
2511.07:026:03
2611.07:026:04
2711.07:016:04
2811.17:016:05
2911.17:016:06
3011.17:016:06
3111.17:016:07

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.68 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 4.35 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.4Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.4Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.4Bright
174.4Bright
184.4Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Hilo

In seasonPeak

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

Hilo sits in the eastern Pacific hurricane zone; the season peaks August–September.

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

Is January a good time to visit Hilo?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Hilo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hilo in January

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

In January, Hilo sees daytime highs around 73°F and nights near 67°F. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

Sea temperature near Hilo in January

The nearest coast averages about 76°F in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 11 mi away) is warmest in September at about 80°F and coldest in March near 75°F.

The water stays above 68°F all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

74°76°78°80°82°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan76Warm
Feb75Warm
Mar75Warm
Apr76Warm
May77Warm
Jun78Warm
Jul79Warm
Aug79Warm
Sep80Warm
Oct80Warm
Nov78Warm
Dec77Warm

UV index in Hilo in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hilo peaks around August 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 7 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highHighAug 15UV 14Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Hilo in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Hilo is worst in January — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (July, 16 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJan 2128 µg/m³Jul 1917 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan28Moderate
Feb27Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep21Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov22Moderate
Dec24Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Hilo?

Hilo sits at 19.7°N, 155.1°W, 59 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kīhei, 113 mi away.

Topography around Hilo

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hilo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 774 ft around an average of 197 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,606 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 13,750 ft.

The land around Hilo is covered by trees (34%), water (29%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, trees (42%) and water (29%) within 10 miles, and water (49%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
774 ft
10 miles
3,606 ft
50 miles
13,750 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Kīhei 113 mi · Kahului 120 mi · Wailuku 122 mi · Lahaina 130 mi · Hawai‘i Kai 201 mi · East Honolulu 201 mi · Niu Valley 202 mi · Kuliouou - Kalani Iki 203 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 Hilo (19.7299°, -155.0907°, elevation 59 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).