Kitakata weather in December

In December, Kitakata sees average daytime highs of 3°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 203 mm of precipitation across 24.2 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to 1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kitakata's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kitakata's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
203 mm
24.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
6:54 AM – 4:19 PM
Cloud cover
77%
10th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Kitakata is city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

Density
83/km²
people per km²
Founded
2006

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 1°C by the end.

A typical December day in Kitakata reaches about 3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -1°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
160
260
36-1
45-1
55-1
65-1
75-1
84-2
94-2
104-2
114-2
124-2
133-2
143-3
153-3
163-3
173-3
183-3
193-3
203-3
212-3
222-3
232-3
242-3
252-4
262-4
272-4
282-4
291-4
301-4
311-4

How December really feels in Kitakata

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.

Kitakata weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -5°21225.826.19.70.0
Feb / -5°15521.520.810.50.0
Mar / -2°16220.816.611.70.2
Apr11° / 12815.7512.92.5
May18° / 13315.10.2145.1
Jun22° / 14°17316.1014.65.3
Jul25° / 19°27420.5014.35.0
Aug26° / 20°19918.7013.55.2
Sep22° / 16°17416.1012.35.4
Oct16° / 15515.50.2114.4
Nov10° / 14918.15.9101.8
Dec / -3°20324.220.19.40.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22278
32278
42278
52278
62278
72080
81981
91981
101981
111981
121981
131882
141882
151882
161783
171783
181783
191783
201684
211684
221684
231684
241684
251585
261486
271387
281387
291387
301387
311387

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Kitakata gets around 203 mm of rain and snow over 24.2 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 78% and peaks near 82% on the wettest days, and about 20 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
17044
27146
37248
47350
57452
67554
77556
87657
97759
107760
117861
127863
137964
147964
157965
167966
177966
187967
197967
207968
217969
227970
238071
248072
258073
268074
278175
288176
298177
308279
318280

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 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:43 AM to 7:01 AM, and sunset from 4:18 PM to 4:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.66:434:18
29.66:444:18
39.66:444:18
49.56:454:18
59.56:464:18
69.56:474:18
79.56:484:18
89.56:494:18
99.56:494:18
109.56:504:18
119.46:514:18
129.46:524:18
139.46:524:18
149.46:534:18
159.46:544:19
169.46:544:19
179.46:554:19
189.46:564:20
199.46:564:20
209.46:574:20
219.46:574:21
229.46:584:21
239.46:584:22
249.46:594:22
259.46:594:23
269.46:594:23
279.47:004:24
289.47:004:25
299.47:004:25
309.47:014:26
319.47:014:27

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.81 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.81 kWh/m² to a high of 5.4 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 1.81 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.8Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.8Dim
201.8Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
271.9Dim
281.9Dim
291.9Dim
301.9Dim
311.9Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Kitakata?

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

0.0
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 Kitakata.

What to pack for Kitakata in December

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

In December, Kitakata sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 24 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Kitakata in December

The nearest coast averages about 15°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 68 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in March near 9°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 21 to Oct 29 — about 4.3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan12Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr11Bracing
May15Bracing
Jun20Cool
Jul23Refreshing
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct22Refreshing
Nov18Cool
Dec15Bracing

UV index in Kitakata 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 Kitakata peaks around August 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateAug 12UV 10Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Kitakata 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 Kitakata is worst in April — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodApr 1623 µg/m³Dec 1711 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb15Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kitakata?

Kitakata sits at 37.6°N, 139.9°E, 207 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Bange, 10 km away.

Topography around Kitakata

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kitakata has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 192 m around an average of 220 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,294 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,110 m.

The land around Kitakata is covered by cropland (53%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 3 km, trees (69%) and cropland (24%) within 16 km, and trees (81%) within 80 km.

3 km
192 m
16 km
1,294 m
80 km
2,110 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Bange 10 km · Aizu-Wakamatsu 19 km · Aizu-misato Machi 27 km · Yonezawa 36 km · Takahata 48 km · Nanyō 49 km · Motomiya 49 km · Nihommatsu 50 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 Kitakata (37.65°, 139.8667°, elevation 207 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).