‹ Hilton Head Island weather by month

Typical December weather

Hilton Head Island

South Carolina · December

Cool and calm — the island half-empty and entirely pleasant.

63° days
43° nights

about 5 rainy days · 10 hours of daylight · ocean 58°

What to pack

What December feels like

Golf never really stops here; the courses just get cooler and emptier. Sea Pines strings lights through Harbour Town for a low-key island Christmas, and on the handful of nights that drop below freezing everybody covers their plants.

Expect about 5 days with real rain — enough to notice, not enough to plan around. The air runs dry — whatever the thermometer says, it wears easy.

Can you swim?

The ocean runs about 58° — cold — a quick dip takes resolve.

The numbers

Typical high63°
Typical low43°
Days with real rain5
Total rain3.2 in
Humiditydry air
Water temperature58°
Sunrise / sunset (mid-month)7:16 am / 5:19 pm

How December compares

See the whole year in Hilton Head Island ›