Kumamoto weather in January

In January, Kumamoto sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 79 mm of precipitation across 10.6 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kumamoto's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kumamoto's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
79 mm
10.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 06 min
7:25 AM – 5:28 PM
Cloud cover
64%
9th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.8
out of 10

Kumamoto is city in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan.

Density
1,897/km²
people per km²
Founded
1889

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 9°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kumamoto reaches about 9°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 5°C and 13°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1104
2104
3104
494
594
694
794
894
994
1093
1193
1293
1393
1493
1593
1693
1793
1893
1993
2093
2193
2293
2393
2493
2593
2693
2793
2893
2993
3093
3193

How January really feels in Kumamoto

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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

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

Kumamoto weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7910.61.810.11.8
Feb10° / 9610.21.210.82.3
Mar14° / 14213.10.211.83.8
Apr18° / 11°15412.1012.85.5
May22° / 15°17812013.76.4
Jun25° / 20°40317014.15.4
Jul29° / 23°30116.3013.94.8
Aug30° / 24°13513013.24.7
Sep27° / 21°15611.8012.26.1
Oct23° / 15°988.3011.27.1
Nov17° / 10°938.8010.35.6
Dec11° / 84100.99.92.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24456
34357
44357
54258
64258
74159
83961
93961
103862
113763
123664
133664
143664
153565
163565
173565
183565
193565
203664
213664
223664
233664
243763
253763
263961
273961
284060
294159
304159
314258

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Kumamoto gets around 79 mm of rain and snow over 10.6 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 34% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1306
2306
3306
4306
5306
6316
7316
8316
9326
10325
11335
12335
13345
14345
15355
16355
17366
18366
19376
20376
21376
22376
23376
24376
25376
26376
27376
28366
29366
30356
31356

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 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:24 AM to 7:19 AM, and sunset from 5:17 PM to 5:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.97:245:17
29.97:245:17
39.97:255:18
49.97:255:19
59.97:255:19
69.97:255:20
79.97:255:21
89.97:255:22
910.07:255:22
1010.07:255:23
1110.07:255:24
1210.07:255:25
1310.07:255:26
1410.07:255:27
1510.07:255:27
1610.17:255:28
1710.17:255:29
1810.17:245:30
1910.17:245:31
2010.17:245:32
2110.27:245:33
2210.27:235:34
2310.27:235:35
2410.27:235:35
2510.27:225:36
2610.37:225:37
2710.37:215:38
2810.37:215:39
2910.37:205:40
3010.47:205:41
3110.47:195:42

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.49 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.31 kWh/m² to a high of 5.15 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.49 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kumamoto

In seasonPeak

In January, Kumamoto sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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

Kumamoto's rainy season runs June–July, 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 January a good time to visit Kumamoto?

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

1.8
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kumamoto.

What to pack for Kumamoto in January

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

In January, Kumamoto sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Kumamoto in January

The nearest coast averages about 14°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 27°C and coldest in February near 13°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 27 to Nov 13 — about 5.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan14Bracing
Feb13Bracing
Mar14Bracing
Apr16Cool
May19Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov20Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Kumamoto in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks 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 Kumamoto peaks around June 22 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 21UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct7High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto is worst in March — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (July, 13 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2325 µg/m³Jul 2114 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov16Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kumamoto?

Kumamoto sits at 32.8°N, 130.7°E, 9 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Kotō, 6.0 km away.

Topography around Kumamoto

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kumamoto has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 441 m around an average of 51 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 674 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,765 m.

The land around Kumamoto is covered by artificial surfaces (60%) and trees (34%) within 3 km, trees (31%), artificial surfaces (26%) and cropland (25%) within 16 km, and trees (66%) within 80 km.

3 km
441 m
16 km
674 m
80 km
1,765 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Kotō 6.0 km · Uekimachi-mōno 10 km · Shimada 11 km · Okino 12 km · Kōshi 12 km · Uto 14 km · Mifune 16 km · Matsubase 17 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 Kumamoto (32.8059°, 130.6918°, elevation 9 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).