Kagoshima weather in December

In December, Kagoshima sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 85 mm of rain across 7.7 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kagoshima's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kagoshima's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Rainfall
85 mm
7.7 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
7:15 AM – 5:13 PM
Cloud cover
56%
3rd clearest
Wind
12 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.47 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Kagoshima is capital city of Kagoshima prefecture.

Founded
1889

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 16°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical December day in Kagoshima reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11710
21610
3169
4169
5169
6169
7159
8159
9158
10158
11158
12158
13158
14148
15148
16147
17147
18147
19147
20147
21147
22147
23147
24147
25147
26137
27137
28136
29136
30136
31136

How December really feels in Kagoshima

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

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Kagoshima weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan12° / 82910.23.4
Feb13° / 1029.610.83.7
Mar16° / 15412.911.84.9
Apr21° / 13°17611.612.86.0
May24° / 17°19711.613.66.4
Jun27° / 21°48819.8144.7
Jul30° / 25°30019.913.83.7
Aug31° / 25°16717.213.23.6
Sep29° / 23°20214.712.24.9
Oct25° / 18°110911.27.1
Nov20° / 12°1128.910.46.4
Dec14° / 857.7104.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25545
35446
45446
55347
65347
75248
85248
95248
105248
115149
125149
135149
145149
155149
165050
175050
185050
195149
205149
215149
225248
235149
245248
255248
265149
275248
285248
295248
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kagoshima gets around 85 mm of rain over 7.7 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 25% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
329
429
528
628
727
827
926
1026
1126
1225
1325
1425
1525
1625
1725
1824
1924
2024
2124
2224
2323
2423
2523
2623
2723
2823
2923
3024
3124

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
186104
286104
38794
48893
58983
68983
79172
89172
99172
109361
119361
129361
139361
149361
159361
169451
179550
189550
199550
209550
219550
229550
239640
249640
259640
269640
279730
289730
299730
309820
319820

Wind in December

Winds average 12 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:05 AM to 7:22 AM, and sunset from 5:10 PM to 5:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.17:055:10
210.17:065:10
310.17:065:10
410.17:075:10
510.07:085:10
610.07:095:10
710.07:095:10
810.07:105:11
910.07:115:11
1010.07:125:11
1110.07:125:11
1210.07:135:11
1310.07:145:12
1410.07:145:12
1510.07:155:12
1610.07:155:13
179.97:165:13
189.97:175:13
199.97:175:14
209.97:185:14
219.97:185:15
229.97:195:15
239.97:195:15
249.97:195:16
259.97:205:16
269.97:205:17
279.97:215:18
2810.07:215:18
2910.07:215:19
3010.07:225:19
3110.07:225:20

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.47 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.47 kWh/m² to a high of 5.06 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 2.47 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Kagoshima

In seasonPeak

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

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

Kagoshima's rainy season runs June–July, 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 December a good time to visit Kagoshima?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Kagoshima for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kagoshima in December

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

In December, Kagoshima sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Kagoshima in December

The nearest coast averages about 21°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 22 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 24 to Dec 26 — about 8.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr20Cool
May21Refreshing
Jun24Refreshing
Jul27Warm
Aug28Tropical
Sep27Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov23Refreshing
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Kagoshima in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kagoshima peaks around July 10 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 10UV 11Dec 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar7High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Kagoshima 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 Kagoshima is worst in April — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 12 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 1423 µg/m³Oct 1012 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kagoshima?

Kagoshima sits at 31.6°N, 130.6°E, 6 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Ijūin, 15 km away.

Topography around Kagoshima

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kagoshima has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 131 m around an average of 19 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,097 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,641 m.

The land around Kagoshima is covered by artificial surfaces (63%) and water (28%) within 3 km, trees (49%) and water (35%) within 16 km, and water (50%) and trees (43%) within 80 km.

3 km
131 m
16 km
1,097 m
80 km
1,641 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Ijūin 15 km · Tarumizu 17 km · Umeki 19 km · Kajiki 22 km · Aira 23 km · Hamanoichi 24 km · Minamikyushu 26 km · Kokubu-matsuki 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 Kagoshima (31.5667°, 130.55°, 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).