Hikone weather in December

In December, Hikone sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 72 mm of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 11°C in the first days to 8°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Hikone's 2nd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hikone's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
72 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:02 AM – 4:40 PM
Cloud cover
55%
2nd clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.0
out of 10

Hikone is city in Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

Density
577/km²
people per km²
Founded
1937

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 11°C in the first days to 8°C by the end.

A typical December day in Hikone reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°C and 13°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1125
2125
3125
4114
5114
6114
7114
8104
9104
10103
11103
12103
13103
1493
1593
1693
1793
1892
1992
2092
2182
2282
2382
2482
2582
2682
2781
2881
2981
3071
3171

How December really feels in Hikone

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 16 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
16
wind chill below the day's low

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

Hikone weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7411.25.69.90.7
Feb / 7510.84.910.71.0
Mar11° / 12412.71.711.72.7
Apr17° / 140120.112.95.1
May22° / 13°17012.1013.86.2
Jun25° / 18°21614.9014.35.7
Jul29° / 22°25617.8014.14.4
Aug30° / 23°16315.6013.34.3
Sep26° / 20°21213.9012.25.8
Oct21° / 14°16610.8011.16.4
Nov15° / 868.6010.14.7
Dec / 7210.42.99.72.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 32% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 40%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25941
35842
45941
55941
65941
76040
86040
96040
106040
116040
125941
136040
146040
156040
165941
176040
186040
196040
206139
216040
226040
236139
246139
256040
266040
276040
286040
296040
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Hikone gets around 72 mm of rain and snow over 10.4 wet days in December, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 33% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1271
2271
3282
4282
5283
6283
7284
8294
9295
10305
11306
12316
13317
14327
15328
16338
17349
183410
193511
203611
213612
223713
233714
243714
253815
263815
273816
283817
293817
303817
313918

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 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
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:51 AM to 7:09 AM, and sunset from 4:39 PM to 4:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.86:514:39
29.86:524:39
39.86:534:38
49.86:534:38
59.76:544:38
69.76:554:38
79.76:564:39
89.76:574:39
99.76:574:39
109.76:584:39
119.76:594:39
129.76:594:39
139.77:004:39
149.67:014:40
159.67:014:40
169.67:024:40
179.67:034:41
189.67:034:41
199.67:044:41
209.67:044:42
219.67:054:42
229.67:054:43
239.67:064:43
249.67:064:44
259.67:074:44
269.67:074:45
279.67:074:45
289.67:084:46
299.67:084:46
309.67:084:47
319.77:094:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.25 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.25 kWh/m² to a high of 5.36 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 2.25 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Hikone

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Hikone?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

2.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Hikone.

What to pack for Hikone in December

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

In December, Hikone sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Hikone in December

The nearest coast averages about 16°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 54 km away) is warmest in August at about 27°C and coldest in March near 11°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 12 to Nov 7 — about 4.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan13Bracing
Feb12Bracing
Mar11Bracing
Apr13Bracing
May17Cool
Jun21Refreshing
Jul24Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct22Refreshing
Nov19Cool
Dec16Cool

UV index in Hikone in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hikone peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Hikone 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 Hikone is worst in April — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 1125 µg/m³Aug 1817 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Hikone?

Hikone sits at 35.3°N, 136.3°E, 95 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Maibara, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Hikone

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hikone has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 185 m around an average of 102 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,103 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,601 m.

The land around Hikone is covered by artificial surfaces (64%) within 3 km, trees (38%) and water (30%) within 16 km, and trees (58%) within 80 km.

3 km
185 m
16 km
1,103 m
80 km
1,601 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Maibara 8.0 km · Echigawa 10 km · Nagahama 15 km · Youkaichi 16 km · Ōmihachiman 19 km · Yasu 27 km · Hino 28 km · Takashima 28 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 Hikone (35.25°, 136.25°, elevation 95 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).