Asahikawa in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Asahikawa sees average daytime highs around -3°C and overnight lows near -11°C, with 191 mm of precipitation over about 45 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around -3°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Asahikawa's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Asahikawa's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- -3°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -11°C
- Precipitation
- 191 mm
- 45 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Asahikawa in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around -3°C.
A typical winter day in Asahikawa reaches about -3°C and drops to -11°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Asahikawa
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Asahikawa 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 (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -4° / -12° | 57 | 15 | 20.4 | 9.1 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -2° / -11° | 50 | 13 | 17.1 | 10.2 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 2° / -6° | 67 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 11.6 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 10° / 1° | 77 | 13.6 | 5.8 | 13.2 | 2.1 |
| May | 16° / 7° | 91 | 13 | 0.4 | 14.5 | 4.8 |
| Jun | 20° / 12° | 90 | 12.4 | 0 | 15.2 | 5.8 |
| Jul | 24° / 16° | 147 | 14.4 | 0 | 14.9 | 6.0 |
| Aug | 24° / 17° | 171 | 15 | 0 | 13.8 | 5.9 |
| Sep | 20° / 12° | 143 | 14.4 | 0 | 12.3 | 5.6 |
| Oct | 14° / 5° | 115 | 15.6 | 1.2 | 10.8 | 3.5 |
| Nov | 6° / -2° | 107 | 18.4 | 12.3 | 9.5 | 0.5 |
| Dec | -1° / -9° | 83 | 17.3 | 21.7 | 8.8 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Asahikawa gets around 191 mm of rain and snow over 45 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 9 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 hours in early December to 10 h 48 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 2.1 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Asahikawa?
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 weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Asahikawa.
What to pack for Asahikawa in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Asahikawa sees daytime highs around -3°C and nights near -11°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 45 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Asahikawa in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 7°C across winter — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 13 | 9 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Bracing |
| Feb | 5 | Bracing |
| Mar | 5 | Bracing |
| Apr | 7 | Bracing |
| May | 10 | Bracing |
| Jun | 14 | Bracing |
| Jul | 18 | Cool |
| Aug | 21 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 21 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 17 | Cool |
| Nov | 13 | Bracing |
| Dec | 9 | Bracing |
UV index in Asahikawa in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | High | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Moderate |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 7 | Very high |
| Jul | 6 | High |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Asahikawa 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 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 8 | 11 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Good |
| Feb | 11 | Good |
| Mar | 16 | Moderate |
| Apr | 17 | Moderate |
| May | 15 | Moderate |
| Jun | 11 | Good |
| Jul | 11 | Good |
| Aug | 9 | Good |
| Sep | 8 | Good |
| Oct | 9 | Good |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
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.
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
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.