Climate and average weather in Date

In Date, the summers are humid, warm, showery, and mostly cloudy and the winters are very cold, snowy, and partly cloudy.

Best: late May to early October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Date typically varies from -7°C to 24°C, and is rarely below -12°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 Date for warm-weather activities is from late May to early October.

Hottest
Aug
24°
Coldest
Jan
-7°
Wettest
Aug
165 mm
Driest
Feb
40 mm
Rain / yr
1020 mm
123 wet days
Daylight
8.9–15.1 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
6 m
42.5°N
Clearest
Oct
56% cloud

Date is city in Hokkaidō, Japan.

Density
79/km²
people per km²
Founded
2006

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

Date 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 early October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Date, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 3.8 months, from June 11 to October 3, with daily high temperatures above 18°C. The hottest month of the year in Date is August, with an average high of 24°C and low of 19°C.

The cool season lasts 3.6 months, from December 1 to March 19, with daily high temperatures below 4°C. The coldest month of the year in Date is January, with an average low of -7°C and high of -1°C.

Days typically run about 6°C warmer than nights year-round.

-10°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan-1-7
Feb0-7
Mar3-4
Apr92
May148
Jun1813
Jul2217
Aug2419
Sep2115
Oct158
Nov72
Dec1-4

How hot and cold Date really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

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 -13°C (around January 18), with roughly 165 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C) 79 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.

-10°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°C)Air high (°C)Feels-like low (°C)Air low (°C)
Jan-1-1-13-7
Feb00-12-7
Mar33-8-4
Apr99-12
May141468
Jun18181313
Jul22221717
Aug24241919
Sep21211515
Oct151568
Nov77-22
Dec11-9-4

Average hourly temperature in Date

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 -7°C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Date weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -7°447.911.79.20.0
Feb-1° / -7°406.98.910.30.0
Mar / -4°549.67.911.60.0
Apr / 7010.31.913.11.8
May14° / 8910.9014.44.2
Jun18° / 13°759015.15.8
Jul22° / 17°13112.7014.86.0
Aug24° / 19°16512013.76.4
Sep21° / 15°13411.7012.36.1
Oct15° / 8610.70.110.84.4
Nov / 74113.19.61.1
Dec / -4°6010.312.38.90.0

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Date gets about 1020 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 3.5 months, from around Jun 29 to Oct 13, peaking in July at about 42% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Feb 5.

August is the wettest month by volume, with 165 mm over about 12 wet days; February is the driest, with 40 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetJul 18 · 42%Feb 5 · 23%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan258
Feb267
Mar3110
Apr3410
May3511
Jun319
Jul4013
Aug3912
Sep3912
Oct3511
Nov3611
Dec3310

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Date collects about 1020 mm of rain across 123 wet days — roughly 85 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. August is the wettest month with 165 mm, while February is the driest at just 40 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 42% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0255075100125150175200JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec444054708975131165134867460
Rainfall (mm)Rain daysSnow days
Jan44812
Feb4079
Mar54108
Apr70102
May89110
Jun7590
Jul131130
Aug165120
Sep134120
Oct86110
Nov74113
Dec601012

Snow in Date

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.

Date averages about 46 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 3 to Apr 29 — about 5.9 months.

December is snowiest, with roughly 12 days of snow and an estimated 42 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 180 cm of snow.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonDec 30
Snow daysSnowfall (cm)
Jan1243
Feb943
Mar828
Apr212
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct01
Nov311
Dec1242

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Date, 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 September 10 and lasts for 2.4 months, ending around November 21. The clearest month is October, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 53% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around June 7 and lasts for 3.1 months, ending around September 9. The cloudiest month is July, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 73% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecOct 23 · 56%Jul 17 · 26%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan3367
Feb3664
Mar4456
Apr4951
May4357
Jun3565
Jul2773
Aug3268
Sep4258
Oct5347
Nov4456
Dec3466

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

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 12, brings about 15 h 06 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 8 h 54 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 12 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.27:094:22
Feb10.36:435:00
Mar11.65:575:35
Apr13.15:026:11
May14.44:206:45
Jun15.14:047:10
Jul14.84:177:07
Aug13.74:486:33
Sep12.35:225:39
Oct10.85:574:46
Nov9.66:364:08
Dec8.97:064:00

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Date averages about 6 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 3 and 11 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 2.9 months, from around Mar 15 to Jun 10. The sunniest month is April, with roughly 10 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is January, down near 3 sunny days — about 68% fewer than the April peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedApr 2211 daysJan 133 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan3Gloomy
Feb3Gloomy
Mar7Gloomy
Apr10Mixed
May9Mixed
Jun6Gloomy
Jul4Gloomy
Aug6Gloomy
Sep8Mixed
Oct10Mixed
Nov6Gloomy
Dec3Gloomy

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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 Date, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 3.0 months, from around June 24 to September 23. The muggiest month is August, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 83% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 24 to June 23, and May is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecMay 16 · 100%Aug 10 · 13%oppressivemuggycomfortablehumiddrycomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan1000000
Feb1000000
Mar1000000
Apr1000000
May991000
Jun6130810
Jul102736225
Aug313343514
Sep362823113
Oct909100
Nov1000000
Dec1000000

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 Date is typically calm, near 11 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 5.8 months, from around Oct 3 to Mar 29. The windiest month is December, averaging about 13 km/h (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Mar 30 to Oct 2, with August the calmest month at about 9 km/h.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezeDec 8 · 13 km/hAug 2 · 9 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan13light breeze
Feb12light breeze
Mar12calm
Apr11calm
May11calm
Jun10calm
Jul9calm
Aug9calm
Sep10calm
Oct11calm
Nov12light breeze
Dec13light breeze

Hazard calendar for Date

In seasonPeak

When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.

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

Date's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Best time to visit Date

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Date throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around late September, Date is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.

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 Date for general outdoor tourist activities is from late May to early October, with a peak score in the second week of August.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 9 · 6.4

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).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.0poor
Feb0.0poor
Mar0.1poor
Apr1.8poor
May4.2fair
Jun5.8good
Jul6.1good
Aug6.4good
Sep6.1good
Oct4.4fair
Nov1.1poor
Dec0.0poor

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 Date for hot-weather activities is from late July to early September, with a peak score in the second week of August.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 10 · 5.5

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 Date, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

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 -1°C), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In August, Date sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 19°C. Worth packing: light clothes and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Date

Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 21°C and coldest in February near 4°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 9 to Sep 13 — about 1.2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan6Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar4Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul18Cool
Aug21Refreshing
Sep20Refreshing
Oct17Cool
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index (midday) in Date by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 Date peaks around August 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 18UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul5Moderate
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Date

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb00
Mar00
Apr60
May7.54
Jun7.52.5
Jul60
Aug7.54.5
Sep61.5
Oct30
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Date by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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 Date is worst in April — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1219 µg/m³Dec 158 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun12Moderate
Jul11Good
Aug10Good
Sep9Good
Oct11Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Date typically lasts about 232 days, from around April 6 to November 23 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 21 to November 4.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonMar 1410%Apr 650%Apr 2190%Nov 490%Nov 2350%Dec 1410%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan131
Feb128
Mar1431
Apr7519
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct990
Nov6724
Dec1231

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

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. Date banks about 1,135 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around August.

02505007501,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May37
Jun165
Jul296
Aug347
Sep237
Oct53
Nov0
Dec0

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.

Date receives about 3.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.7 and 5.5 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.5 months, from around Feb 28 to Sep 13. The brightest month is May, averaging about 5.4 kWh/m² (bright).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.8 kWh/m² — roughly 67% less than the May peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseMay 285.5 kWhDec 91.7 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan2.2Moderate
Feb3.2Moderate
Mar4.5Bright
Apr5.2Bright
May5.4Bright
Jun5.2Bright
Jul4.5Bright
Aug4.2Bright
Sep3.7Moderate
Oct3.0Moderate
Nov2.0Moderate
Dec1.7Dim

Where is Date?

Date sits at 42.5°N, 140.9°E, 6 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Muroran, 19 km away.

Topography around Date

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Date has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 147 m around an average of 23 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 901 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,867 m.

The land around Date is covered by water (33%), artificial surfaces (23%) and cropland (21%) within 3 km, water (48%) and trees (41%) within 16 km, and trees (53%) and water (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
147 m
16 km
901 m
80 km
1,867 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Nearby: Muroran 19 km · Noboribetsu 26 km · Shiraoi 41 km · Niseko 41 km · Kutchan 49 km · Yakumo 55 km · Tomakomai 63 km · Honchō 65 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 Date (42.4681°, 140.8681°, elevation 6 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. 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).