Kitakami in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Kitakami sees average daytime highs around 2°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 222 mm of precipitation over about 42 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs ease from about 6°C in early December to 3°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Kitakami's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Kitakami's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 2°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -5°C
- Precipitation
- 222 mm
- 42 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Kitakami in Winter
Over the season highs ease from about 6°C in early December to 3°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Kitakami reaches about 2°C and drops to -5°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Kitakami
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Kitakami weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1° / -6° | 73 | 13.7 | 15.9 | 9.6 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 2° / -6° | 63 | 12.5 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 6° / -2° | 98 | 14.4 | 10 | 11.7 | 0.6 |
| Apr | 13° / 3° | 104 | 14 | 2.2 | 13 | 3.3 |
| May | 18° / 9° | 114 | 13.1 | 0 | 14.1 | 5.4 |
| Jun | 22° / 14° | 130 | 12.7 | 0 | 14.7 | 5.8 |
| Jul | 25° / 18° | 182 | 16.4 | 0 | 14.5 | 5.5 |
| Aug | 26° / 20° | 162 | 15.2 | 0 | 13.5 | 5.6 |
| Sep | 23° / 15° | 154 | 13.6 | 0 | 12.3 | 5.8 |
| Oct | 17° / 8° | 128 | 12.2 | 0 | 11 | 5.0 |
| Nov | 10° / 2° | 87 | 13.3 | 2.6 | 9.8 | 2.2 |
| Dec | 4° / -3° | 86 | 15.3 | 12.1 | 9.3 | 0.1 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Kitakami gets around 222 mm of rain and snow over 42 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 10 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min in early December to 11 hours by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.5 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Kitakami?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kitakami.
What to pack for Kitakami in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Kitakami sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 42 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Kitakami in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 11°C across winter — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 11 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 13 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Bracing |
| Feb | 8 | Bracing |
| Mar | 7 | Bracing |
| Apr | 9 | Bracing |
| May | 12 | Bracing |
| Jun | 17 | Cool |
| Jul | 20 | Cool |
| Aug | 22 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 22 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 19 | Cool |
| Nov | 16 | Cool |
| Dec | 13 | Bracing |
UV index in Kitakami in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | High | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 6 | High |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Air quality in Kitakami in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 10 | 14 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Good |
| Feb | 14 | Moderate |
| Mar | 19 | Moderate |
| Apr | 20 | Moderate |
| May | 19 | Moderate |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 12 | Moderate |
| Aug | 11 | Good |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 11 | Good |
| Nov | 11 | Good |
| Dec | 9 | Good |
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.
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
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.