Climate and average weather in Ashibetsu
In Ashibetsu, the summers are warm, showery, and mostly cloudy and the winters are very cold, snowy, and mostly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Ashibetsu typically varies from -12°C to 24°C, and is rarely below -17°C or above 28°C. August is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Ashibetsu for warm-weather activities is from late May to late September.
- Hottest
- Aug
- 24°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -12°
- Wettest
- Aug
- 176 mm
- Driest
- Feb
- 56 mm
- Rain / yr
- 1243 mm
- 183 wet days
- Daylight
- 8.8–15.2 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 111 m
- 43.5°N
- Clearest
- Oct
- 62% cloud
Ashibetsu is city in Hokkaidō, Japan.
- Density
- 22/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1953
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Ashibetsu weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late May to late September.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Ashibetsu, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.2 months, from May 25 to September 28, with daily high temperatures above 17°C. The hottest month of the year in Ashibetsu is August, with an average high of 24°C and low of 17°C.
The cool season lasts 3.5 months, from November 30 to March 14, with daily high temperatures below 1°C. The coldest month of the year in Ashibetsu is January, with an average low of -12°C and high of -5°C.
Days typically run about 8°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | -5 | -3 | 1 | 9 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 13 | 5 | -2 |
| Avg low (°C) | -12 | -11 | -6 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 11 | 4 | -2 | -9 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | -5 | -12 |
| Feb | -3 | -11 |
| Mar | 1 | -6 |
| Apr | 9 | 0 |
| May | 16 | 6 |
| Jun | 19 | 12 |
| Jul | 23 | 16 |
| Aug | 24 | 17 |
| Sep | 20 | 11 |
| Oct | 13 | 4 |
| Nov | 5 | -2 |
| Dec | -2 | -9 |
How hot and cold Ashibetsu really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -17°C (around January 26), with roughly 185 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C) — 113 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | -5 | -3 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 13 | 5 | -2 |
| Air high (°C) | -5 | -3 | 1 | 9 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 13 | 5 | -2 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -17 | -16 | -11 | -3 | 4 | 11 | 16 | 17 | 11 | 2 | -6 | -14 |
| Air low (°C) | -12 | -11 | -6 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 11 | 4 | -2 | -9 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -5 | -5 | -17 | -12 |
| Feb | -3 | -3 | -16 | -11 |
| Mar | 1 | 1 | -11 | -6 |
| Apr | 9 | 9 | -3 | 0 |
| May | 15 | 16 | 4 | 6 |
| Jun | 19 | 19 | 11 | 12 |
| Jul | 23 | 23 | 16 | 16 |
| Aug | 24 | 24 | 17 | 17 |
| Sep | 20 | 20 | 11 | 11 |
| Oct | 13 | 13 | 2 | 4 |
| Nov | 5 | 5 | -6 | -2 |
| Dec | -2 | -2 | -14 | -9 |
Average hourly temperature in Ashibetsu
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on August afternoons, near 24°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -12°C.
Ashibetsu weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -5° / -12° | 67 | 16.2 | 20.5 | 9.1 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -3° / -11° | 56 | 14.3 | 17.9 | 10.2 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 1° / -7° | 75 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 11.6 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 9° / 0° | 80 | 14.1 | 7.4 | 13.2 | 1.6 |
| May | 16° / 6° | 94 | 13.3 | 0.6 | 14.5 | 4.4 |
| Jun | 19° / 12° | 88 | 12.4 | 0 | 15.2 | 5.6 |
| Jul | 23° / 16° | 142 | 14.8 | 0 | 14.9 | 5.9 |
| Aug | 24° / 17° | 176 | 14.8 | 0 | 13.8 | 5.9 |
| Sep | 20° / 11° | 144 | 14.4 | 0 | 12.3 | 5.4 |
| Oct | 13° / 4° | 119 | 15.7 | 1.5 | 10.8 | 3.2 |
| Nov | 5° / -3° | 113 | 18.7 | 13.4 | 9.5 | 0.4 |
| Dec | -2° / -9° | 92 | 18.7 | 22.1 | 8.8 | 0.0 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Ashibetsu gets about 1243 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 4.7 months, from around Oct 20 to Mar 11, peaking in November at about 63% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around May 28.
August is the wettest month by volume, with 176 mm over about 15 wet days; February is the driest, with 56 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 53 | 52 | 50 | 47 | 43 | 42 | 47 | 48 | 48 | 51 | 62 | 60 |
| Rain days | 16 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 19 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 16 |
| Feb | 52 | 14 |
| Mar | 50 | 16 |
| Apr | 47 | 14 |
| May | 43 | 13 |
| Jun | 42 | 12 |
| Jul | 47 | 15 |
| Aug | 48 | 15 |
| Sep | 48 | 14 |
| Oct | 51 | 16 |
| Nov | 62 | 19 |
| Dec | 60 | 19 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Ashibetsu collects about 1243 mm of rain across 183 wet days — roughly 104 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. August is the wettest month with 176 mm, while February is the driest at just 56 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 37% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 67 | 56 | 75 | 80 | 94 | 88 | 142 | 176 | 144 | 119 | 113 | 92 |
| Rain days | 16 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 19 |
| Snow days | 21 | 18 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 22 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67 | 16 | 21 |
| Feb | 56 | 14 | 18 |
| Mar | 75 | 16 | 17 |
| Apr | 80 | 14 | 7 |
| May | 94 | 13 | 1 |
| Jun | 88 | 12 | 0 |
| Jul | 142 | 15 | 0 |
| Aug | 176 | 15 | 0 |
| Sep | 144 | 14 | 0 |
| Oct | 119 | 16 | 2 |
| Nov | 113 | 19 | 13 |
| Dec | 92 | 19 | 22 |
Snow in Ashibetsu
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Ashibetsu averages about 100 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 11 to May 16 — about 7.2 months.
December is snowiest, with roughly 21 days of snow and an estimated 90 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 406 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 21 | 18 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 22 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 76 | 78 | 64 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 59 | 90 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | 76 |
| Feb | 18 | 78 |
| Mar | 17 | 64 |
| Apr | 7 | 30 |
| May | 1 | 2 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 2 | 7 |
| Nov | 13 | 59 |
| Dec | 22 | 90 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Ashibetsu, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around August 31 and lasts for 2.8 months, ending around November 22. The clearest month is October, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 45% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around November 23 and lasts for 3.6 months, ending around March 11. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 79% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 21 | 23 | 35 | 42 | 37 | 31 | 26 | 29 | 38 | 45 | 35 | 23 |
| Cloudier (%) | 79 | 77 | 65 | 58 | 63 | 69 | 74 | 71 | 62 | 55 | 65 | 77 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | 79 |
| Feb | 23 | 77 |
| Mar | 35 | 65 |
| Apr | 42 | 58 |
| May | 37 | 63 |
| Jun | 31 | 69 |
| Jul | 26 | 74 |
| Aug | 29 | 71 |
| Sep | 38 | 62 |
| Oct | 45 | 55 |
| Nov | 35 | 65 |
| Dec | 23 | 77 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 10, brings about 15 h 12 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 8 h 48 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 24 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.1 | 10.2 | 11.6 | 13.2 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.3 | 10.8 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:07 | 6:39 | 5:52 | 4:56 | 4:12 | 3:55 | 4:09 | 4:41 | 5:17 | 5:53 | 6:33 | 7:04 |
| Sunset (PM) | 4:14 | 4:52 | 5:30 | 6:07 | 6:43 | 7:08 | 7:05 | 6:30 | 5:34 | 4:40 | 4:00 | 3:51 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.1 | 7:07 | 4:14 |
| Feb | 10.2 | 6:39 | 4:52 |
| Mar | 11.6 | 5:52 | 5:30 |
| Apr | 13.2 | 4:56 | 6:07 |
| May | 14.5 | 4:12 | 6:43 |
| Jun | 15.2 | 3:55 | 7:08 |
| Jul | 14.9 | 4:09 | 7:05 |
| Aug | 13.8 | 4:41 | 6:30 |
| Sep | 12.3 | 5:17 | 5:34 |
| Oct | 10.8 | 5:53 | 4:40 |
| Nov | 9.5 | 6:33 | 4:00 |
| Dec | 8.8 | 7:04 | 3:51 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Ashibetsu averages about 5 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 2 and 8 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 3.4 months, from around Mar 20 to Jul 2. The sunniest month is April, with roughly 7 sunny days (gloomy).
The greyest month is December, down near 2 sunny days — about 72% fewer than the April peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 2 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 5 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 7 | Gloomy |
| May | 7 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 5 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 4 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 4 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 6 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 7 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 4 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 2 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Ashibetsu, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 2.8 months, from around June 25 to September 17. The muggiest month is August, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 66% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 18 to June 24, and May is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 69 | 16 | 10 | 58 | 98 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 33 | 24 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 33 | 37 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oppressive (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 69 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul | 16 | 33 | 33 | 17 | 1 |
| Aug | 10 | 24 | 37 | 26 | 3 |
| Sep | 58 | 25 | 12 | 5 | 0 |
| Oct | 98 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Ashibetsu is typically calm, near 8 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 3.8 months, from around Jan 30 to May 26. The windiest month is March, averaging about 10 km/h (calm).
The calmer part of the year runs from around May 27 to Oct 4, with July the calmest month at about 7 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | calm |
| Feb | 9 | calm |
| Mar | 10 | calm |
| Apr | 10 | calm |
| May | 9 | calm |
| Jun | 7 | calm |
| Jul | 7 | calm |
| Aug | 7 | calm |
| Sep | 7 | calm |
| Oct | 9 | calm |
| Nov | 9 | calm |
| Dec | 9 | calm |
Best time to visit Ashibetsu
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Ashibetsu throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late May, Ashibetsu is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Ashibetsu for general outdoor tourist activities is from late May to late September, with a peak score in the first week of August.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 5.9 | 5.4 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | good | good | good | fair | poor | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 0.0 | poor |
| Mar | 0.0 | poor |
| Apr | 1.6 | poor |
| May | 4.3 | fair |
| Jun | 5.6 | good |
| Jul | 5.8 | good |
| Aug | 5.9 | good |
| Sep | 5.4 | fair |
| Oct | 3.2 | poor |
| Nov | 0.5 | poor |
| Dec | 0.0 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Ashibetsu for hot-weather activities is from mid July to early September, with a peak score in the first week of August.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Ashibetsu, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around August (highs near 24°C), the essentials are light clothes and rain gear. In the cold season around January (highs near -5°C), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.
In August, Ashibetsu sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 15 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Ashibetsu
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 61 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 (midday) in Ashibetsu by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ashibetsu peaks around August 17 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 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | High | High | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Moderate |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 7 | High |
| Jul | 6 | High |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Average hourly UV index in Ashibetsu
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in August the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 7.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 4.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 6 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 | 3 | 0 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 2.5 | 0 |
| Apr | 6 | 0 |
| May | 7.5 | 3.5 |
| Jun | 7.5 | 3 |
| Jul | 7 | 0 |
| Aug | 7.5 | 4.5 |
| Sep | 6 | 0.5 |
| Oct | 3 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Air quality in Ashibetsu by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Ashibetsu 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 |
Growing season
The growing season in Ashibetsu typically lasts about 205 days, from around April 16 to November 6 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from May 5 to October 15.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 0 | 0 | 5 | 49 | 96 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 87 | 30 | 2 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 30 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 31 |
| Feb | 0 | 28 |
| Mar | 5 | 31 |
| Apr | 49 | 30 |
| May | 96 | 4 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 87 | 16 |
| Nov | 30 | 30 |
| Dec | 2 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Ashibetsu banks about 975 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 163 | 288 | 311 | 166 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 0 |
| May | 38 |
| Jun | 163 |
| Jul | 288 |
| Aug | 311 |
| Sep | 166 |
| Oct | 10 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Ashibetsu receives about 3.6 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.6 and 5.3 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.4 months, from around Mar 1 to Sep 11. The brightest month is May, averaging about 5.2 kWh/m² (bright).
The dimmest month is December, down near 1.6 kWh/m² — roughly 69% less than the May peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Dim | Dim |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.0 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3.0 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4.3 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.0 | Bright |
| May | 5.3 | Bright |
| Jun | 5.1 | Bright |
| Jul | 4.6 | Bright |
| Aug | 4.1 | Bright |
| Sep | 3.5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 2.7 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1.8 | Dim |
| Dec | 1.6 | Dim |
Where is Ashibetsu?
Ashibetsu sits at 43.5°N, 142.2°E, 111 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Sunagawa, 23 km away.
Topography around Ashibetsu
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Ashibetsu.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Ashibetsu has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 328 m around an average of 154 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 883 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,253 m.
The land around Ashibetsu is covered by trees (71%) within 3 km, trees (90%) within 16 km, and trees (73%) 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 Ashibetsu (43.5097°, 142.1856°, elevation 111 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).