Kitakami weather in December

In December, Kitakami sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 86 mm of precipitation across 15.3 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to 2°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kitakami's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kitakami's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
86 mm
15.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
6:54 AM – 4:09 PM
Cloud cover
70%
6th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Kitakami is city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

Density
213/km²
people per km²
Founded
1954

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 6°C in the first days to 2°C by the end.

A typical December day in Kitakami reaches about 4°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 -0°C and 8°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
17-1
26-1
36-1
46-1
56-1
65-1
75-2
85-2
95-2
105-2
114-2
124-2
134-3
144-3
154-3
164-3
174-3
183-3
193-3
203-4
213-4
223-4
233-4
243-4
253-4
263-4
272-4
282-4
292-5
302-5
312-5

How December really feels in Kitakami

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Kitakami weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -6°7313.715.99.60.0
Feb / -6°6312.512.610.50.0
Mar / -2°9814.41011.70.6
Apr13° / 104142.2133.3
May18° / 11413.1014.15.4
Jun22° / 14°13012.7014.75.8
Jul25° / 18°18216.4014.55.5
Aug26° / 20°16215.2013.55.6
Sep23° / 15°15413.6012.35.8
Oct17° / 12812.20115.0
Nov10° / 8713.32.69.82.2
Dec / -3°8615.312.19.30.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33268
43268
53268
63268
73169
83268
93268
103268
113268
123169
133169
143169
153169
163169
173169
183268
193169
203169
213169
223169
233070
243070
253070
263070
273070
283070
293169
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Kitakami gets around 86 mm of rain and snow over 15.3 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 49% and peaks near 51% on the wettest days, and about 12 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14823
24824
34925
44927
54929
64930
75032
85034
95135
105137
115138
125139
135140
145140
155141
165041
175041
185042
195042
205042
214943
224943
234943
244943
254844
264844
274844
284845
294846
304846
314847

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 (%)
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 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
149calm
159calm
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 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 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 6:42 AM to 7:01 AM, and sunset from 4:08 PM to 4:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.46:424:08
29.46:434:08
39.46:444:08
49.46:454:08
59.46:464:08
69.46:474:08
79.36:484:08
89.36:484:08
99.36:494:08
109.36:504:08
119.36:514:08
129.36:524:08
139.36:524:08
149.36:534:09
159.36:544:09
169.26:544:09
179.26:554:09
189.26:554:10
199.26:564:10
209.26:574:11
219.26:574:11
229.26:584:11
239.26:584:12
249.26:584:12
259.26:594:13
269.26:594:14
279.27:004:14
289.27:004:15
299.37:004:15
309.37:004:16
319.37:014:17

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.87 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.87 kWh/m² to a high of 5.14 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 1.87 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.8Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
181.9Dim
191.9Dim
201.9Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
242.0Dim
252.0Dim
262.0Moderate
272.0Moderate
282.0Moderate
292.0Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Kitakami?

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

0.1
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kitakami.

What to pack for Kitakami in December

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

In December, Kitakami sees daytime highs around 4°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Kitakami in December

The nearest coast averages about 13°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 63 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in March near 7°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 21 to Oct 3 — about 2.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

5°10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan11Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul20Cool
Aug22Refreshing
Sep22Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec13Bracing

UV index in Kitakami 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 Kitakami peaks around August 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 19UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Kitakami 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 Kitakami is worst in April — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1620 µg/m³Dec 1710 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep11Good
Oct11Good
Nov11Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kitakami?

Kitakami sits at 39.3°N, 141.1°E, 63 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Kanegasaki, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Kitakami

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kitakami has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 211 m around an average of 77 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 707 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,980 m.

The land around Kitakami is covered by artificial surfaces (41%), trees (32%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, trees (49%) and cropland (37%) within 16 km, and trees (78%) within 80 km.

3 km
211 m
16 km
707 m
80 km
1,980 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Kanegasaki 9.0 km · Hanamaki 11 km · Ōshū 17 km · Mizusawa 17 km · Hizume 30 km · Tōno 36 km · Yahaba 37 km · Ichinoseki 41 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 Kitakami (39.2833°, 141.1167°, elevation 63 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. 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).