Date weather in January

In January, Date sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -7°C, with 44 mm of precipitation across 7.9 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Date's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Date's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-7°
1st coldest
Precipitation
44 mm
7.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:09 AM – 4:22 PM
Cloud cover
69%
10th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

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.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Date reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -7°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -5°C and 2°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-6
2-1-6
3-1-6
4-1-7
5-1-7
6-1-7
7-1-7
8-1-7
9-1-7
10-1-7
11-1-7
12-1-7
13-1-7
14-1-7
15-1-7
16-1-8
17-1-8
18-1-8
19-1-8
20-1-8
21-1-8
22-1-8
23-1-8
24-1-8
25-1-8
26-1-8
27-1-8
28-1-8
29-1-8
30-1-8
31-1-8

How January really feels in Date

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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 January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Date weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

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

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33268
43268
53268
63169
73268
83268
93268
103268
113268
123367
133367
143367
153367
163367
173466
183565
193466
203367
213367
223367
233367
243367
253367
263367
273466
283367
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Date gets around 44 mm of rain and snow over 7.9 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 25% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 12 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13141
23041
32941
42841
52741
62641
72640
82540
92540
102439
112439
122439
132438
142438
152437
162436
172436
182435
192435
202535
212535
222535
232535
242535
252535
262535
272535
282535
292435
302435
312435

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January 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 January

Winds average 13 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:12 AM to 6:59 AM, and sunset from 4:08 PM to 4:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:124:08
28.97:124:09
39.07:124:09
49.07:124:10
59.07:124:11
69.07:124:12
79.07:124:13
89.07:124:14
99.17:114:15
109.17:114:16
119.17:114:17
129.17:114:18
139.17:114:19
149.27:104:20
159.27:104:21
169.27:094:22
179.27:094:23
189.37:094:24
199.37:084:26
209.37:084:27
219.37:074:28
229.47:064:29
239.47:064:30
249.47:054:32
259.57:044:33
269.57:044:34
279.57:034:35
289.67:024:36
299.67:014:38
309.67:004:39
319.76:594:40

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.18 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.71 kWh/m² to a high of 5.39 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.18 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
52.0Dim
62.0Dim
72.0Dim
82.0Moderate
92.0Moderate
102.0Moderate
112.0Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Date

In seasonPeak

In January, Date sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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

Is January a good time to visit Date?

Our two travel scores rate January 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
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Date.

What to pack for Date in January

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

In January, Date sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -7°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Date in January

The nearest coast averages about 6°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

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 in Date in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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

Air quality in Date in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

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
January weather 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).