Kitakata weather in January

In January, Kitakata sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 212 mm of precipitation across 25.8 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kitakata's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kitakata's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-5°
1st coldest
Precipitation
212 mm
25.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:00 AM – 4:40 PM
Cloud cover
80%
12th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.17 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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kitakata reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -5°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -3°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-4
21-4
31-4
41-4
51-4
61-4
71-4
81-5
91-5
101-5
110-5
120-5
130-5
140-5
150-5
160-5
170-5
180-5
190-5
200-5
210-5
220-5
230-5
240-5
250-5
260-5
270-5
280-5
290-5
300-5
310-5

How January really feels in Kitakata

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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 January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Kitakata weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 88%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21288
31288
41288
51288
61387
71387
81387
91486
101486
111486
121486
131387
141387
151288
161288
171288
181189
191189
201189
211189
221189
231189
241189
251189
261189
271288
281288
291288
301387
311387

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Kitakata gets around 212 mm of rain and snow over 25.8 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 83% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days, and about 26 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
18381
28382
38383
48383
58384
68384
78384
88384
98384
108384
118384
128284
138284
148284
158283
168283
178283
188283
198283
208283
218283
228384
238384
248384
258384
268384
278485
288485
298384
308384
318384

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 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 January

Winds average 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 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
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:01 AM to 6:52 AM, and sunset from 4:27 PM to 4:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:014:27
29.47:014:28
39.57:014:28
49.57:014:29
59.57:014:30
69.57:014:31
79.57:014:32
89.57:014:32
99.57:014:33
109.67:014:34
119.67:014:35
129.67:014:36
139.67:014:37
149.67:004:38
159.67:004:39
169.77:004:40
179.77:004:41
189.76:594:42
199.76:594:43
209.86:584:44
219.86:584:45
229.86:584:46
239.86:574:47
249.96:574:48
259.96:564:49
269.96:564:50
279.96:554:51
2810.06:544:52
2910.06:544:53
3010.06:534:54
3110.16:524:55

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.17 kWh/m².

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 — January's 2.17 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
22.0Dim
32.0Dim
42.0Dim
52.0Dim
62.0Dim
72.0Moderate
82.0Moderate
92.0Moderate
102.0Moderate
112.0Moderate
122.0Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Kitakata?

Our two travel scores rate January 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

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kitakata.

What to pack for Kitakata in January

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

In January, Kitakata sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 26 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Kitakata in January

The nearest coast averages about 12°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 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 January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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 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 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
January 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).