Waiakea Mission Station-Hilo Station · Photo: W Nowicki · CC BY 3.0Hilo’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 64°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Hilo at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hilo’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hilo’s place in Hawaii beside it.
What a year in Hilo feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
Frost is rare
Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hilo International Airport, 2.9 miles from the city’s center point, 260 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hilo’s center in zone 12b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 56°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 120 inches of rain a year
November is the wettest month and May the driest. Rain falls on about 274 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Papaikou Mauka No.2 140.4, HI, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Hilo
0% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. No month averages under 55°.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Hilo International Airport.
Living with Hilo’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 12b. Frost almost never comes, so tender plants can often stay out through winter.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. 38 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hilo from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (46%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hilo and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hilo yet.
Climates most like Hilo’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilo, HI | 64° | 83° | 120" | 0.0" |
| Tillamook, OR | 38° | 71° | 87" | 0.2" |
| Sultan, WA | 35° | 76° | 75" | 3.0" |
| Miami Shores, FL | 61° | 89° | 61" | 0.0" |
| Pascagoula, MS | 43° | 89° | 66" | 0.1" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Hilo compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hilo’s place among Hawaii’s.
Hilo weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Papaikou Mauka No.2 140.4, HI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 79° | 64° | 7.9" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| February | 78° | 64° | 10.2" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| March | 79° | 65° | 12.7" | 0.0" | 22 | 0 |
| April | 79° | 66° | 9.4" | 0.0" | 24 | 0 |
| May | 81° | 67° | 7.0" | 0.0" | 24 | 0 |
| June | 82° | 69° | 7.3" | 0.0" | 25 | 0 |
| July | 83° | 70° | 9.2" | 0.0" | 26 | 0 |
| August | 83° | 70° | 11.3" | 0.0" | 27 | 0 |
| September | 83° | 70° | 8.7" | 0.0" | 23 | 0 |
| October | 82° | 69° | 10.2" | 0.0" | 24 | 0 |
| November | 80° | 68° | 14.4" | 0.0" | 24 | 0 |
| December | 79° | 66° | 12.1" | 0.0" | 22 | 0 |
| Year | 81° | 67° | 120.4" | 0.0" | 274 | 0 |
Where Hilo’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station (NOAA’s grid doesn’t cover Hawaii).
- Snow: Papaikou Mauka No.2 140.4, HI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hilo International Airport, 2.9 miles from the city’s center point, 260 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Hilo’s climate
What is the weather like in Hilo?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 64°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than all but 55 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 73% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hilo in winter?
January nights average 64°. A night at 32° or below comes in only some winters (0.0 a year on average).
How much snow does Hilo get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Papaikou Mauka No.2 140.4, HI, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Hilo?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 70°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Hilo International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Hilo?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 0% of winters at Hilo International Airport, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Hilo in?
Zone 12b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 56°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hilo?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hilo.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.