Asahikawa weather in May

In May, Asahikawa sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 91 mm of precipitation across 13 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Asahikawa's 4th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Asahikawa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
91 mm
13 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
4:11 AM – 6:43 PM
Cloud cover
67%
4th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Asahikawa is city in Hokkaido, Japan.

Density
446/km²
people per km²
Founded
1877

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in Asahikawa reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1144
2144
3144
4155
5155
6155
7155
8155
9156
10166
11166
12166
13166
14166
15167
16167
17177
18177
19177
20178
21178
22178
23188
24188
25188
26189
27189
28189
29189
30199
31199

How May really feels in Asahikawa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Asahikawa weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-4° / -12°571520.49.10.0
Feb-2° / -11°501317.110.20.0
Mar / -6°6714.915.711.60.0
Apr10° / 7713.65.813.22.1
May16° / 91130.414.54.8
Jun20° / 12°9012.4015.25.8
Jul24° / 16°14714.4014.96.0
Aug24° / 17°17115013.85.9
Sep20° / 12°14314.4012.35.6
Oct14° / 11515.61.210.83.5
Nov / -2°10718.412.39.50.5
Dec-1° / -9°8317.321.78.80.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23862
33862
43862
53763
63664
73664
83664
93664
103664
113763
123862
133862
143862
153862
163862
173862
183763
193763
203763
213862
223862
233862
243862
253862
263862
273763
283763
293763
303763
313664

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Asahikawa gets around 91 mm of rain and snow over 13 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 42% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1457
2456
3455
4445
5444
6444
7443
8443
9442
10442
11442
12431
13431
14421
15421
16421
17411
18410
19410
20410
21400
22400
23400
24400
25400
26400
27400
28400
29400
30400
31400

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
19991
20991
21991
22991
23982
24982
25982
26982
27973
28973
29964
30964
31955

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:30 AM to 3:58 AM, and sunset from 6:25 PM to 6:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.94:306:25
214.04:296:26
314.04:276:28
414.04:266:29
514.14:256:30
614.14:236:31
714.24:226:32
814.24:216:33
914.34:196:35
1014.34:186:36
1114.34:176:37
1214.44:166:38
1314.44:146:39
1414.54:136:40
1514.54:126:41
1614.54:116:43
1714.64:106:44
1814.64:096:45
1914.64:086:46
2014.74:076:47
2114.74:066:48
2214.74:056:49
2314.84:046:50
2414.84:036:51
2514.84:026:52
2614.94:026:53
2714.94:016:54
2814.94:006:55
2914.94:006:56
3015.03:596:57
3115.03:586:58

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.25 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.53 kWh/m² to a high of 5.25 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.25 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Asahikawa?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Asahikawa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Asahikawa in May

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

In May, Asahikawa sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Asahikawa in May

The nearest coast averages about 10°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 60 km away) is warmest in August at about 21°C and coldest in February near 5°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 3 to Sep 20 — about 1.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan6Bracing
Feb5Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul18Cool
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct17Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Asahikawa in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Asahikawa peaks around August 16 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 16UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Asahikawa in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Asahikawa is worst in April — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1517 µg/m³Dec 178 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun11Good
Jul11Good
Aug9Good
Sep8Good
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Asahikawa?

Asahikawa sits at 43.8°N, 142.4°E, 121 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Fukagawa, 27 km away.

Topography around Asahikawa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Asahikawa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 64 m around an average of 115 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 755 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,253 m.

The land around Asahikawa is covered by artificial surfaces (77%) within 3 km, trees (51%) and cropland (31%) within 16 km, and trees (81%) within 80 km.

3 km
64 m
16 km
755 m
80 km
2,253 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Fukagawa 27 km · Ashibetsu 32 km · Minamishibetsuchō 43 km · Takikawa 44 km · Furano 47 km · Shimo-furano 47 km · Sunagawa 49 km · Rumoi 61 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 Asahikawa (43.7706°, 142.3649°, elevation 121 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. 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).