Hilo in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Hilo sees average daytime highs around 73°F and overnight lows near 68°F, with 20.2 in of rain over about 56 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 73°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels humid.
Winter is Hilo's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Hilo has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Hilo's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 73°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 68°F
- Rainfall
- 20.2 in
- 56 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 mph
- Travel score
- 5.5
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Hilo in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 73°F.
A typical winter day in Hilo reaches about 73°F and drops to 68°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
Hilo 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.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 73° / 67° | 5.8 | 16.8 | 10.9 | 6.0 |
| Feb | 72° / 67° | 6.6 | 17.2 | 11.3 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 72° / 67° | 9.1 | 23.5 | 11.9 | 4.7 |
| Apr | 73° / 68° | 7.1 | 24.8 | 12.4 | 4.5 |
| May | 74° / 69° | 5.7 | 23.7 | 12.9 | 4.9 |
| Jun | 75° / 70° | 4.7 | 24.1 | 13.2 | 4.8 |
| Jul | 76° / 71° | 5.7 | 25.8 | 13.1 | 4.6 |
| Aug | 77° / 72° | 6.7 | 25.6 | 12.7 | 4.6 |
| Sep | 77° / 72° | 4.5 | 22 | 12.1 | 5.1 |
| Oct | 77° / 71° | 5.4 | 23 | 11.5 | 5.0 |
| Nov | 75° / 70° | 7.5 | 23.2 | 11.1 | 4.8 |
| Dec | 73° / 68° | 7.9 | 22.2 | 10.8 | 5.1 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Hilo gets around 20.2 in of rain over 56 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 7 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min in early December to 11 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Hilo
None of Hilo's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Hilo sits in the eastern Pacific hurricane zone; the season peaks August–September.
Is winter a good time to visit Hilo?
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.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Hilo for sightseeing.
What to pack for Hilo in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Hilo sees daytime highs around 73°F and nights near 68°F. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 56 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Hilo in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 76°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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 76 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 79 | 80 | 80 | 78 | 77 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 76 | Warm |
| Feb | 75 | Warm |
| Mar | 75 | Warm |
| Apr | 76 | Warm |
| May | 77 | Warm |
| Jun | 78 | Warm |
| Jul | 79 | Warm |
| Aug | 79 | Warm |
| Sep | 80 | Warm |
| Oct | 80 | Warm |
| Nov | 78 | Warm |
| Dec | 77 | Warm |
UV index in Hilo in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Very high |
| Feb | 10 | Very high |
| Mar | 12 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 14 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Extreme |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 7 | High |
Air quality in Hilo in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 28 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 25 | 22 | 24 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | Moderate |
| Feb | 27 | Moderate |
| Mar | 26 | Moderate |
| Apr | 23 | Moderate |
| May | 22 | Moderate |
| Jun | 19 | Moderate |
| Jul | 16 | Moderate |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 21 | Moderate |
| Oct | 25 | Moderate |
| Nov | 22 | Moderate |
| Dec | 24 | Moderate |
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.
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
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.