Kagoshima weather in January

In January, Kagoshima sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 82 mm of precipitation across 9 wet days and about 10.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 12°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 hours at the start of January to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kagoshima's 4th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kagoshima's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
82 mm
9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
7:23 AM – 5:32 PM
Cloud cover
61%
4th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 12°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kagoshima reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 8°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1136
2136
3136
4136
5136
6136
7136
8126
9126
10126
11126
12126
13126
14126
15126
16126
17126
18126
19126
20126
21125
22125
23125
24125
25125
26125
27125
28125
29125
30125
31125

How January really feels in Kagoshima

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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

January 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 January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 12th-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34852
44753
54753
64654
74555
84456
94456
104456
114357
124258
134159
144159
154159
164159
174159
184060
194060
204060
214060
224060
234159
244159
254159
264159
274258
284357
294357
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kagoshima gets around 82 mm of rain and snow over 9 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 29% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
225
325
426
526
627
727
828
928
1028
1129
1229
1329
1430
1530
1630
1731
1831
1931
2031
2131
2231
2331
2431
2531
2630
2730
2830
2929
3029
3129

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14973
15973
16973
17973
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in January

Winds average 12 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 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
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 hours at the start of January to 10 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:22 AM to 7:17 AM, and sunset from 5:20 PM to 5:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.07:225:20
210.07:225:21
310.07:225:22
410.07:225:22
510.07:225:23
610.07:235:24
710.07:235:24
810.07:235:25
910.17:235:26
1010.17:235:27
1110.17:235:28
1210.17:235:28
1310.17:235:29
1410.17:235:30
1510.17:235:31
1610.27:235:32
1710.27:225:32
1810.27:225:33
1910.27:225:34
2010.27:225:35
2110.27:215:36
2210.37:215:37
2310.37:215:38
2410.37:215:39
2510.37:205:39
2610.37:205:40
2710.47:195:41
2810.47:195:42
2910.47:185:43
3010.47:185:44
3110.57:175:45

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.65 kWh/m².

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 — January's 2.65 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kagoshima

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Kagoshima?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kagoshima.

What to pack for Kagoshima in January

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

In January, Kagoshima sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 6°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Kagoshima in January

The nearest coast averages about 19°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 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 January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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 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 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
January 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).