Kurihara weather in December

In December, Kurihara sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 65 mm of precipitation across 11 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 5°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kurihara's 3rd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kurihara's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
65 mm
11 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
6:53 AM – 4:11 PM
Cloud cover
61%
3rd clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Kurihara is city in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.

Density
83/km²
people per km²
Founded
2005

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 8°C in the first days to 5°C by the end.

A typical December day in Kurihara reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
191
291
381
481
580
680
780
870
970
1070
1170
1270
137-1
146-1
156-1
166-1
176-1
186-1
196-1
206-1
216-1
225-1
235-1
245-1
255-2
265-2
275-2
285-2
295-2
305-2
315-2

How December really feels in Kurihara

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.

Kurihara weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°5910.68.99.60.0
Feb / -3°529.37.210.50.1
Mar / -0°9411.8511.71.7
Apr15° / 102121134.2
May20° / 11°11612.1014.15.9
Jun23° / 15°14313.5014.75.9
Jul26° / 20°19817.9014.45.2
Aug28° / 21°17616.4013.55.1
Sep24° / 17°17114.6012.35.8
Oct19° / 10°13510.80115.8
Nov12° / 699.80.89.93.4
Dec / -1°65115.89.30.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34852
44852
54852
64753
74753
84753
94753
104654
114753
124753
134753
144753
154753
164852
174852
184852
194852
204852
214951
225050
235050
245149
255149
265149
275149
285248
295248
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Kurihara gets around 65 mm of rain and snow over 11 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1338
2339
33310
43410
53411
63513
73514
83615
93616
103617
113718
123718
133719
143719
153620
163620
173621
183621
193621
203622
213622
223522
233522
243522
253523
263523
273523
283524
293525
303525
313526

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 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 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 6:41 AM to 6:59 AM, and sunset from 4:10 PM to 4:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.56:414:10
29.56:424:10
39.56:434:10
49.46:444:10
59.46:454:10
69.46:464:10
79.46:464:10
89.46:474:10
99.46:484:10
109.46:494:10
119.36:504:10
129.36:504:10
139.36:514:10
149.36:524:11
159.36:524:11
169.36:534:11
179.36:544:12
189.36:544:12
199.36:554:12
209.36:554:13
219.36:564:13
229.36:564:14
239.36:574:14
249.36:574:15
259.36:584:15
269.36:584:16
279.36:584:16
289.36:594:17
299.36:594:17
309.36:594:18
319.36:594:19

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.01 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.01 kWh/m² to a high of 5.28 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 2.01 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.0Moderate
22.0Moderate
32.0Moderate
42.0Moderate
52.0Moderate
62.0Moderate
72.0Dim
82.0Dim
92.0Dim
102.0Dim
112.0Dim
122.0Dim
132.0Dim
142.0Dim
152.0Dim
162.0Moderate
172.0Moderate
182.0Moderate
192.0Moderate
202.0Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Kurihara

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Kurihara?

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

0.6
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 Kurihara.

What to pack for Kurihara in December

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

In December, Kurihara sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Kurihara in December

The nearest coast averages about 14°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 53 km away) is warmest in August at about 23°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 10 to Oct 8 — about 3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

5°10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan11Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep22Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec14Bracing

UV index in Kurihara 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 Kurihara peaks around August 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highModerateAug 18UV 9Jan 11UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Kurihara 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 Kurihara 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).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1620 µg/m³Dec 1710 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep11Good
Oct11Good
Nov11Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kurihara?

Kurihara sits at 38.8°N, 141.0°E, 42 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Tome, 14 km away.

Topography around Kurihara

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kurihara has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m around an average of 37 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 566 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,619 m.

The land around Kurihara is covered by trees (45%) and cropland (39%) within 3 km, trees (59%) and cropland (31%) within 16 km, and trees (62%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
83 m
16 km
566 m
80 km
1,619 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Tome 14 km · Ōsaki 18 km · Furukawa 20 km · Ichinoseki 22 km · Kogota 23 km · Naka-niida 24 km · Kogota-ekimae 25 km · Wakuya 26 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 Kurihara (38.75°, 141°, elevation 42 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).