Abashiri weather in December

In December, Abashiri sees average daytime highs of 0°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 75 mm of precipitation across 11.3 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 2°C in the first days to -1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of December to 8 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Abashiri's 3rd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Abashiri's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
4th coldest
Precipitation
75 mm
11.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
6:58 AM – 3:41 PM
Cloud cover
60%
3rd clearest
Wind
21 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Abashiri is city in Hokkaido, Japan.

Density
76/km²
people per km²
Founded
1947

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 2°C in the first days to -1°C by the end.

A typical December day in Abashiri reaches about 0°C in the afternoon and slips back to -4°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -3°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13-1
23-1
33-1
42-2
52-2
62-2
72-2
81-3
91-3
101-3
111-3
121-3
131-3
140-4
150-4
160-4
170-4
180-4
190-4
200-4
210-4
22-1-5
23-1-5
24-1-5
25-1-5
26-1-5
27-1-5
28-1-5
29-1-5
30-1-5
31-1-5

How December really feels in Abashiri

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
17 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Abashiri weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -7°6111.314.39.10.0
Feb-3° / -9°447.69.310.20.0
Mar / -5°569.4911.60.0
Apr / 6610.35.213.20.6
May11° / 8111.10.714.52.6
Jun15° / 11°8011.2015.24.3
Jul19° / 15°10411.30155.7
Aug21° / 17°13212.2013.85.9
Sep19° / 15°13211.9012.35.6
Oct14° / 9710.90.110.83.9
Nov / 7211.53.59.40.9
Dec / -4°7511.311.88.80.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25446
35446
45446
55446
65446
75545
85545
95545
105545
115545
125446
135446
145446
155347
165347
175248
185149
195050
205050
214951
224753
234753
244654
254555
264555
274456
284258
294258
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Abashiri gets around 75 mm of rain and snow over 11.3 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 36% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 12 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13526
23527
33528
43529
53530
63531
73532
83633
93633
103634
113635
123636
133636
143637
153637
163538
173538
183539
193640
203640
213641
223742
233743
243743
253844
263844
273845
283846
293946
303947
313947

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 21 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120breezy
220breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of December to 8 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:44 AM to 7:04 AM, and sunset from 3:41 PM to 3:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.96:443:41
28.96:453:41
38.96:463:41
48.96:473:40
58.96:483:40
68.86:493:40
78.86:503:40
88.86:513:40
98.86:523:40
108.86:533:40
118.86:543:40
128.86:553:40
138.76:553:40
148.76:563:40
158.76:573:40
168.76:583:41
178.76:583:41
188.76:593:41
198.76:593:42
208.77:003:42
218.77:003:42
228.77:013:43
238.77:013:43
248.77:023:44
258.77:023:44
268.77:033:45
278.77:033:46
288.77:033:46
298.77:033:47
308.77:043:48
318.77:043:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.54 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 5.28 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 1.54 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.5Dim
161.5Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.5Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Abashiri

In seasonPeak

In December, Abashiri sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Abashiri sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Pacific typhoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Abashiri?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Abashiri.

What to pack for Abashiri in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Abashiri sees daytime highs around 0°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Abashiri in December

The nearest coast averages about 3°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 14 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in February near -1°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan0Bracing
Feb-1Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr1Bracing
May5Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov7Bracing
Dec3Bracing

UV index in Abashiri in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Abashiri peaks around August 16 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 16UV 8Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Abashiri?

Abashiri sits at 44.0°N, 144.3°E, 4 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Motomachi, 26 km away.

Nemuro

Topography around Abashiri

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Abashiri.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Abashiri has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 192 m around an average of 36 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,597 m.

The land around Abashiri is covered by water (43%), trees (28%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, water (58%) within 16 km, and trees (49%) and water (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
192 m
16 km
272 m
80 km
1,597 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Motomachi 26 km · Kitami 39 km · Engaru 58 km · Nakashibetsu 77 km · Shibetsu 80 km · Mombetsu 82 km · Kushiro 117 km · Nemuro 131 km

Japan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
100 V · 50 / 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$35,951
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 446
Religion
Shintoism 49%Buddhism 46%other 4%Christianity 1%

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 Abashiri (44.0213°, 144.2697°, elevation 4 m), 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).