Hakodate weather in January

In January, Hakodate sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 52 mm of precipitation across 9.2 wet days and about 9.3 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 20% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
1st coldest
Precipitation
52 mm
9.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:08 AM – 4:25 PM
Cloud cover
64%
9th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Hakodate is city in Hokkaido, Japan.

Density
407/km²
people per km²
Founded
1922

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 Hakodate reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -4°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -4°C and 3°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-3
20-3
30-3
40-3
50-3
60-3
70-3
80-3
90-3
100-4
11-1-4
12-1-4
13-1-4
14-1-4
15-1-4
16-1-4
17-1-4
18-1-4
19-1-4
20-1-4
21-1-4
22-1-4
23-1-4
24-1-4
25-1-4
26-1-4
27-1-4
28-1-4
29-1-4
30-1-4
31-1-4

How January really feels in Hakodate

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
6 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Hakodate 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° / -4°529.29.39.30.0
Feb-0° / -4°527.97.210.30.0
Mar / -1°669.65.911.70.0
Apr / 839.81.313.10.7
May11° / 11911.6014.32.8
Jun16° / 13°12111.60154.6
Jul20° / 17°17814.9014.75.4
Aug22° / 20°20614.8013.75.8
Sep21° / 18°18512.8012.35.8
Oct14° / 11°11411.4010.94.2
Nov / 87111.69.61.0
Dec / -1°7110.57.590.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34258
44258
54258
64258
74159
84159
94159
104159
114159
124159
134159
144159
154258
164258
174258
184258
194258
204357
214357
224357
234357
244258
254159
264159
274159
284159
294159
304159
314060

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Hakodate gets around 52 mm of rain and snow over 9.2 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 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13129
23129
33129
43029
53029
63029
72929
82930
92930
102930
112930
122930
132930
142930
152930
162930
172930
183030
193029
203029
213030
223030
233030
243030
253030
263030
273029
283029
292929
302929
312929

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 18 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours 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 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:10 AM to 6:58 AM, and sunset from 4:11 PM to 4:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:104:11
29.07:104:11
39.07:104:12
49.17:104:13
59.17:104:14
69.17:104:15
79.17:104:16
89.17:104:17
99.17:104:18
109.17:104:19
119.27:094:20
129.27:094:21
139.27:094:22
149.27:094:23
159.37:084:24
169.37:084:25
179.37:074:26
189.37:074:27
199.47:074:28
209.47:064:29
219.47:064:30
229.47:054:32
239.57:044:33
249.57:044:34
259.57:034:35
269.67:024:36
279.67:024:38
289.67:014:39
299.77:004:40
309.76:594:41
319.76:584:42

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.03 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.68 kWh/m² to a high of 5.44 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.03 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
152.0Dim
162.0Dim
172.0Moderate
182.0Moderate
192.0Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Hakodate

In seasonPeak

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

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

Hakodate'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 Hakodate?

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 Hakodate.

What to pack for Hakodate in January

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

In January, Hakodate sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Hakodate in January

The nearest coast averages about 10°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 19 km away) is warmest in August at about 23°C and coldest in February near 8°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 26 to Oct 7 — about 2.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

5°10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul19Cool
Aug23Refreshing
Sep22Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov15Cool
Dec13Bracing

UV index in Hakodate 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 Hakodate peaks around August 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 19UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul5Moderate
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Hakodate 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 Hakodate is worst in April — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1216 µg/m³Dec 177 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun9Good
Jul8Good
Aug8Good
Sep8Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Hakodate?

Hakodate sits at 41.8°N, 140.7°E, 5 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Kamiiso, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Hakodate

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hakodate has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 292 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 928 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,254 m.

The land around Hakodate is covered by artificial surfaces (49%) and water (44%) within 3 km, water (48%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and water (64%) and trees (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
292 m
16 km
928 m
80 km
1,254 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Kamiiso 9.0 km · Hokuto 10 km · Honchō 14 km · Muroran 64 km · Yakumo 66 km · Mutsu 67 km · Date 78 km · Noboribetsu 84 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 Hakodate (41.7758°, 140.7367°, elevation 5 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).