Hilton Head in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), Hilton Head sees average daytime highs around 75°F and overnight lows near 64°F, with 10.8 in of rain over about 27 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 84°F in early September to 64°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Hilton Head's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Hilton Head's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 75°F
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 64°F
- Rainfall
- 10.8 in
- 27 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 mph
- Travel score
- 6.7
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Hilton Head in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 84°F in early September to 64°F by late November.
A typical fall day in Hilton Head reaches about 75°F and drops to 64°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.
How fall really feels in Hilton Head
Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 4 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in fall is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Hilton Head weather by month
How the three fall months (September, October and November) 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 | 58° / 46° | 3.3 | 8.5 | 10.1 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 61° / 48° | 3.2 | 8.4 | 10.8 | 5.1 |
| Mar | 66° / 53° | 3.1 | 7.9 | 11.8 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 72° / 60° | 2.7 | 6.8 | 12.8 | 7.3 |
| May | 79° / 68° | 2.4 | 8.5 | 13.6 | 7.1 |
| Jun | 84° / 74° | 4.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 5.0 |
| Jul | 87° / 77° | 4.8 | 16.6 | 13.9 | 4.1 |
| Aug | 85° / 77° | 6.1 | 18.9 | 13.2 | 4.1 |
| Sep | 82° / 73° | 4.6 | 13.2 | 12.2 | 5.7 |
| Oct | 75° / 64° | 3.8 | 7.6 | 11.2 | 7.4 |
| Nov | 67° / 54° | 2.4 | 6.3 | 10.3 | 6.9 |
| Dec | 61° / 48° | 3.3 | 8.6 | 9.9 | 5.3 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Hilton Head gets around 10.8 in of rain over 27 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 9 mph across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min in early September to 10 h 06 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 4.0 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Hilton Head
In fall, Hilton Head overlaps its atlantic hurricane season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Hilton Head sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Is fall a good time to visit Hilton Head?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a reasonable time to visit Hilton Head for sightseeing.
What to pack for Hilton Head in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Hilton Head sees daytime highs around 75°F and nights near 64°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 27 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Hilton Head in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 75°F across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 10 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 60 | 59 | 61 | 66 | 74 | 80 | 83 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 68 | 63 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | Cool |
| Feb | 59 | Cool |
| Mar | 61 | Cool |
| Apr | 66 | Cool |
| May | 74 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 80 | Warm |
| Jul | 83 | Tropical |
| Aug | 84 | Tropical |
| Sep | 82 | Warm |
| Oct | 76 | Warm |
| Nov | 68 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 63 | Cool |
UV index in Hilton Head in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hilton Head 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 7 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Hilton Head in Fall
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Hilton Head 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 9 | 12 | 25 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Good |
| Feb | 12 | Moderate |
| Mar | 25 | Moderate |
| Apr | 14 | Moderate |
| May | 14 | Moderate |
| Jun | 15 | Moderate |
| Jul | 17 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 8 | Good |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
Where is Hilton Head?
Hilton Head sits at 32.2°N, 80.8°W, 10 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hilton Head Island, 1.9 mi away.
Topography around Hilton Head
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Hilton Head.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hilton Head has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 105 ft around an average of 26 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 128 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 249 ft.
The land around Hilton Head is covered by trees (53%) and water (21%) within 2 miles, water (53%) and trees (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and water (35%) 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 Hilton Head (32.2163°, -80.7526°, elevation 10 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.