Ashibetsu weather in December

In December, Ashibetsu sees average daytime highs of -2°C and overnight lows near -9°C, with 92 mm of precipitation across 18.7 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 0°C in the first days to -4°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ashibetsu's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ashibetsu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-2°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-9°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
92 mm
18.7 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:04 AM – 3:51 PM
Cloud cover
73%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

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.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 0°C in the first days to -4°C by the end.

A typical December day in Ashibetsu reaches about -2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -9°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 3°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-7
20-7
30-7
40-7
50-8
6-1-8
7-1-8
8-1-8
9-1-9
10-1-9
11-2-9
12-2-9
13-2-9
14-2-10
15-2-10
16-2-10
17-2-10
18-3-10
19-3-10
20-3-10
21-3-10
22-3-10
23-3-10
24-3-10
25-3-11
26-3-11
27-3-11
28-4-11
29-4-11
30-4-11
31-4-11

How December really feels in Ashibetsu

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
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Ashibetsu 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-5° / -12°6716.220.59.10.0
Feb-3° / -11°5614.317.910.20.0
Mar / -7°7515.616.611.60.0
Apr / 8014.17.413.21.6
May16° / 9413.30.614.54.4
Jun19° / 12°8812.4015.25.6
Jul23° / 16°14214.8014.95.9
Aug24° / 17°17614.8013.85.9
Sep20° / 11°14414.4012.35.4
Oct13° / 11915.71.510.83.2
Nov / -3°11318.713.49.50.4
Dec-2° / -9°9218.722.18.80.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22872
32773
42773
52773
62773
72674
82674
92674
102674
112575
122575
132476
142476
152377
162476
172476
182377
192377
202278
212179
222278
232179
242179
252080
262080
271981
282080
291981
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Ashibetsu gets around 92 mm of rain and snow over 18.7 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 60% and peaks near 61% on the wettest days, and about 22 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16163
26164
36165
46166
56166
66167
76168
86169
96170
106170
116171
126172
136172
146072
156073
166073
176073
186073
195973
205973
215973
226073
235973
245973
255973
265973
275972
285972
295872
305871
315871

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 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 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 6:51 AM to 7:10 AM, and sunset from 3:51 PM to 3:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.06:513:51
29.06:523:51
39.06:533:51
48.96:543:50
58.96:553:50
68.96:563:50
78.96:573:50
88.96:583:50
98.96:593:50
108.86:593:50
118.87:003:50
128.87:013:50
138.87:023:50
148.87:033:50
158.87:033:51
168.87:043:51
178.87:053:51
188.87:053:51
198.87:063:52
208.87:063:52
218.87:073:53
228.87:073:53
238.87:083:54
248.87:083:54
258.87:093:55
268.87:093:55
278.87:093:56
288.87:103:56
298.87:103:57
308.87:103:58
318.87:103:59

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.6 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.6 kWh/m² to a high of 5.25 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 1.6 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
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Ashibetsu?

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
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ashibetsu.

What to pack for Ashibetsu in December

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

In December, Ashibetsu sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -9°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Ashibetsu in December

The nearest coast averages about 9°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 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.

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

UV index in Ashibetsu 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 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 17UV 8Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Ashibetsu in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

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 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.

3 km
328 m
16 km
883 m
80 km
2,253 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Sunagawa 23 km · Takikawa 23 km · Shimo-furano 24 km · Furano 24 km · Fukagawa 25 km · Asahikawa 32 km · Bibai 33 km · Iwamizawa 49 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 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).