Kutchan weather in May

In May, Kutchan sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 90 mm of precipitation across 12.7 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kutchan's 3rd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kutchan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
90 mm
12.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
4:20 AM – 6:47 PM
Cloud cover
64%
3rd clearest
Wind
8 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kutchan reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1123
2123
3124
4134
5134
6134
7134
8135
9145
10145
11145
12145
13146
14146
15156
16156
17156
18157
19157
20157
21167
22167
23167
24168
25168
26168
27178
28178
29178
30178
31179

How May really feels in Kutchan

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May 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

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

Kutchan weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24258
34258
44258
54060
64060
74060
84060
94060
103961
114060
124060
134060
144060
154159
164159
174159
184159
194258
204159
214159
224258
234258
244258
254258
264258
274258
284258
294258
304258
314060

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Kutchan gets around 90 mm of rain and snow over 12.7 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 41% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1429
2429
3428
4427
5427
6436
7435
8435
9434
10434
11433
12423
13423
14422
15412
16412
17401
18401
19401
20401
21391
22391
23390
24390
25390
26390
27400
28400
29400
30400
31400

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25982
26982
27982
28982
29973
30973
31964

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:39 AM to 4:08 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 7:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.94:396:30
213.94:376:31
313.94:366:32
414.04:346:33
514.04:336:34
614.14:326:36
714.14:306:37
814.14:296:38
914.24:286:39
1014.24:276:40
1114.34:256:41
1214.34:246:42
1314.34:236:43
1414.44:226:45
1514.44:216:46
1614.44:206:47
1714.54:196:48
1814.54:186:49
1914.64:176:50
2014.64:166:51
2114.64:156:52
2214.64:146:53
2314.74:136:54
2414.74:126:55
2514.74:126:56
2614.84:116:57
2714.84:106:58
2814.84:096:59
2914.84:097:00
3014.94:087:00
3114.94:087:01

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.66 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — May's 5.66 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kutchan

In seasonPeak

In May, 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 May a good time to visit Kutchan?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kutchan for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kutchan in May

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

In May, Kutchan sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 6°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kutchan in May

The nearest coast averages about 11°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).