Kitakami weather in May

In May, Kitakami sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 114 mm of precipitation across 13.1 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kitakami's 4th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kitakami's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
114 mm
13.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
4:27 AM – 6:36 PM
Cloud cover
69%
4th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kitakami reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1166
2177
3177
4177
5177
6177
7178
8178
9178
10178
11188
12188
13189
14189
15189
16189
17189
18199
191910
201910
211910
221910
231910
241910
252011
262011
272011
282011
292011
302011
312011

How May really feels in Kitakami

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May 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

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

Kitakami weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
33961
43862
53763
63664
73664
83565
93565
103466
113367
123367
133466
143466
153466
163565
173664
183664
193664
203664
213664
223664
233763
243763
253862
263862
273862
283862
293763
303763
313664

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Kitakami gets around 114 mm of rain and snow over 13.1 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 42% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1442
2431
3431
4431
5431
6431
7431
8430
9440
10440
11440
12440
13440
14440
15430
16430
17430
18430
19420
20420
21410
22410
23400
24400
25390
26390
27380
28380
29380
30370
31370

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19730
29730
39730
49730
59730
69730
79730
89640
99640
109640
119640
129640
139550
149550
159460
169370
179280
189190
1989101
2088111
2187121
2286131
2384151
2483161
2580182
2679192
2777212
2876222
2974242
3071263
3169283

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 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
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:44 AM to 4:17 AM, and sunset from 6:22 PM to 6:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.64:446:22
213.74:436:23
313.74:416:24
413.74:406:25
513.84:396:26
613.84:386:27
713.84:376:28
813.94:366:29
913.94:346:29
1014.04:336:30
1114.04:326:31
1214.04:316:32
1314.14:306:33
1414.14:296:34
1514.14:286:35
1614.14:276:36
1714.24:266:37
1814.24:266:38
1914.24:256:39
2014.34:246:40
2114.34:236:41
2214.34:226:42
2314.34:226:42
2414.44:216:43
2514.44:206:44
2614.44:206:45
2714.44:196:46
2814.54:186:47
2914.54:186:47
3014.54:176:48
3114.54:176:49

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.14 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — May's 5.14 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kitakami?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kitakami for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kitakami in May

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

In May, Kitakami sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kitakami in May

The nearest coast averages about 12°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).