Kutchan weather in January

In January, Kutchan sees average daytime highs of -4°C and overnight lows near -10°C, with 73 mm of precipitation across 16.4 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -4°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kutchan's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kutchan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-4°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-10°
1st coldest
Precipitation
73 mm
16.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:11 AM – 4:21 PM
Cloud cover
78%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -4°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kutchan reaches about -4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -10°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -8°C and 0°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-3-9
2-3-9
3-3-9
4-3-9
5-3-9
6-3-9
7-3-9
8-4-9
9-4-9
10-4-9
11-4-9
12-4-9
13-4-10
14-4-10
15-4-10
16-4-10
17-4-10
18-4-10
19-4-10
20-4-10
21-4-10
22-4-10
23-4-10
24-4-10
25-4-10
26-4-10
27-4-10
28-4-10
29-4-10
30-4-10
31-4-10

How January really feels in Kutchan

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
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Kutchan weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-4° / -10°7316.4229.20.0
Feb-3° / -9°6414.719.410.20.0
Mar / -6°7615.516.611.60.0
Apr / 7412.26.713.11.3
May15° / 9012.70.714.44.1
Jun19° / 11°8011.9015.15.6
Jul22° / 16°12813.9014.85.9
Aug23° / 17°17214.9013.85.9
Sep20° / 12°15015.4012.35.3
Oct13° / 10914.60.910.83.3
Nov / -1°10717.112.69.50.4
Dec-2° / -7°9718.821.68.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11684
21684
31585
41486
51486
61486
71486
81387
91387
101486
111486
121486
131486
141387
151387
161387
171387
181387
191387
201387
211387
221387
231189
241189
251189
261288
271288
281189
291288
301288
311288

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Kutchan gets around 73 mm of rain and snow over 16.4 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 53% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days, and about 22 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15975
25975
35875
45874
55774
65673
75573
85573
95472
105372
115371
125271
135271
145170
155170
165170
175070
185069
195069
205069
215069
225070
235170
245170
255270
265270
275270
285270
295270
305270
315270

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 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
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 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 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 7:14 AM to 7:01 AM, and sunset from 4:07 PM to 4:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:144:07
28.97:144:08
38.97:144:08
48.97:144:09
58.97:144:10
69.07:144:11
79.07:144:12
89.07:144:13
99.07:134:14
109.07:134:15
119.07:134:16
129.17:134:17
139.17:124:18
149.17:124:19
159.17:124:20
169.27:114:21
179.27:114:22
189.27:104:24
199.27:104:25
209.37:094:26
219.37:094:27
229.37:084:28
239.47:074:30
249.47:074:31
259.47:064:32
269.57:054:33
279.57:054:35
289.57:044:36
299.67:034:37
309.67:024:38
319.67:014:40

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.93 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 5.66 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 1.93 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
181.9Dim
192.0Dim
202.0Dim
212.0Moderate
222.0Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kutchan

In seasonPeak

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

Kutchan 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 January a good time to visit Kutchan?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kutchan.

What to pack for Kutchan in January

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

In January, Kutchan sees daytime highs around -4°C and nights near -10°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Kutchan in January

The nearest coast averages about 8°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 30 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 29 to Sep 25 — about 1.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

5°10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul19Cool
Aug22Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct17Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Kutchan in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kutchan peaks around August 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 18UV 8Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul5Moderate
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Kutchan 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 Kutchan is worst in April — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1219 µg/m³Dec 158 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun12Moderate
Jul11Good
Aug10Good
Sep9Good
Oct11Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kutchan?

Kutchan sits at 42.9°N, 140.7°E, 185 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Niseko, 11 km away.

Topography around Kutchan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kutchan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 199 m around an average of 214 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,876 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,867 m.

The land around Kutchan is covered by trees (49%) and cropland (30%) within 3 km, trees (80%) within 16 km, and water (48%) and trees (42%) within 80 km.

3 km
199 m
16 km
1,876 m
80 km
1,867 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Niseko 11 km · Yoichi 34 km · Otaru 38 km · Date 49 km · Sapporo 53 km · Noboribetsu 61 km · Ishikari 62 km · Shiraoi 63 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 Kutchan (42.9011°, 140.7406°, elevation 185 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).