Myrtle Beach in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Myrtle Beach sees average daytime highs around 58°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 10.6 in of precipitation 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 58°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Myrtle Beach's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Myrtle Beach's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 58°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 42°F
- Precipitation
- 10.6 in
- 26 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 mph
- Travel score
- 4.5
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Myrtle Beach in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 58°F.
A typical winter day in Myrtle Beach reaches about 58°F and drops to 42°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Myrtle Beach
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.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Myrtle Beach 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 | 56° / 40° | 3.5 | 9.1 | 10 | 4.1 |
| Feb | 59° / 42° | 3.4 | 8.3 | 10.7 | 4.7 |
| Mar | 65° / 48° | 3.8 | 9.2 | 11.7 | 6.1 |
| Apr | 72° / 56° | 3.1 | 8 | 12.8 | 7.1 |
| May | 78° / 64° | 3.4 | 10.4 | 13.7 | 6.8 |
| Jun | 84° / 72° | 5.0 | 15.3 | 14.2 | 4.8 |
| Jul | 87° / 75° | 6.4 | 18.9 | 14 | 3.8 |
| Aug | 85° / 74° | 7.0 | 18.7 | 13.3 | 4.1 |
| Sep | 82° / 69° | 6.2 | 12.7 | 12.2 | 5.9 |
| Oct | 74° / 59° | 3.7 | 7.8 | 11.2 | 7.3 |
| Nov | 65° / 49° | 3.1 | 7.4 | 10.3 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 59° / 43° | 3.7 | 8.7 | 9.8 | 4.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Myrtle Beach gets around 10.6 in of rain and snow over 26 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 8 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min in early December to 11 h 12 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 2.9 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Myrtle Beach
None of Myrtle Beach's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Myrtle Beach sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Is winter a good time to visit Myrtle Beach?
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 Myrtle Beach for sightseeing.
What to pack for Myrtle Beach in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Myrtle Beach sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 26 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Myrtle Beach 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 82°F and coldest in February near 60°F.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 28 to Nov 16 — about 6.7 months when the water holds above 68°F.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 61 | 60 | 61 | 65 | 72 | 79 | 82 | 82 | 80 | 75 | 68 | 64 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61 | Cool |
| Feb | 60 | Cool |
| Mar | 61 | Cool |
| Apr | 65 | Cool |
| May | 72 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 79 | Warm |
| Jul | 82 | Warm |
| Aug | 82 | Warm |
| Sep | 80 | Warm |
| Oct | 75 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 68 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 64 | Cool |
UV index in Myrtle Beach in Winter
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 Myrtle Beach peaks around July 13 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) | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Myrtle Beach 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 Myrtle Beach is worst in March — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.5× the cleanest month (December, 6 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) | 7 | 12 | 21 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 12 | Good |
| Mar | 21 | Moderate |
| Apr | 12 | Moderate |
| May | 11 | Good |
| Jun | 15 | Moderate |
| Jul | 16 | Moderate |
| Aug | 14 | Moderate |
| Sep | 9 | Good |
| Oct | 6 | Good |
| Nov | 7 | Good |
| Dec | 6 | Good |
Where is Myrtle Beach?
Myrtle Beach sits at 33.7°N, 78.9°W, 26 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Socastee, 6.2 mi away.
Topography around Myrtle Beach
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Myrtle Beach.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Myrtle Beach has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 ft around an average of 16 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 125 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 210 ft.
The land around Myrtle Beach is covered by water (43%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 2 miles, water (49%) and trees (31%) within 10 miles, and trees (56%) and water (30%) 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 Myrtle Beach (33.6891°, -78.8867°, elevation 26 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.