Kitsuki in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Kitsuki sees average daytime highs around 10°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 173 mm of precipitation over about 21 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 14°C in early December to 11°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Kitsuki's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Kitsuki's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
10°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
5°C
Precipitation
173 mm
21 wet days
Avg wind
11 km/h
Travel score
2.6
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Kitsuki in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 14°C in early December to 11°C by late February.

A typical winter day in Kitsuki reaches about 10°C and drops to 5°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

10°15°20°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Kitsuki

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Kitsuki 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 546.70.9102.1
Feb10° / 648.10.810.82.3
Mar13° / 102110.111.73.7
Apr18° / 12°12110.2012.85.7
May23° / 17°13710.4013.76.6
Jun26° / 21°27515.1014.25.6
Jul30° / 25°23516.40144.2
Aug31° / 26°16514.4013.24.2
Sep27° / 22°17712.9012.25.8
Oct22° / 17°1247.6011.27.2
Nov17° / 12°717.3010.35.8
Dec12° / 556.40.19.83.4

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Kitsuki gets around 173 mm of rain and snow over 21 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 11 km/h across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.7 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Kitsuki

In seasonPeak

In winter, Kitsuki overlaps its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Kitsuki sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Kitsuki's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Pacific typhoon
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit Kitsuki?

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.

2.6
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kitsuki.

What to pack for Kitsuki in Winter

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

In winter, Kitsuki sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 21 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Kitsuki in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 16°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 24 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 14°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 5 to Nov 20 — about 5.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb14Bracing
Mar14Bracing
Apr16Cool
May18Cool
Jun21Refreshing
Jul24Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov20Refreshing
Dec18Cool

UV index in Kitsuki in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kitsuki peaks around June 20 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJun 20UV 10Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Kitsuki in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Kitsuki is worst in March — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 12 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2026 µg/m³Oct 1212 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar27Moderate
Apr24Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov14Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kitsuki?

Kitsuki sits at 33.4°N, 131.6°E, 3 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Hiji, 10 km away.

Topography around Kitsuki

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kitsuki has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 m around an average of 32 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 620 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,799 m.

The land around Kitsuki is covered by trees (48%) within 3 km, trees (49%) and water (41%) within 16 km, and water (47%) and trees (45%) within 80 km.

3 km
135 m
16 km
620 m
80 km
1,799 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Winter weather nearby: Hiji 10 km · Kunisaki 18 km · Beppu 19 km · Tsurusaki 21 km · Ōita 21 km · Bungo-Takada-shi 22 km · Yokkaichi 30 km · Yufu 33 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 Kitsuki (33.42°, 131.6184°, elevation 3 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.