Minakami weather in May

In May, Minakami sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 129 mm of precipitation across 14.9 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Minakami's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Minakami's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
129 mm
14.9 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
4:42 AM – 6:39 PM
Cloud cover
68%
6th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Minakami reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1156
2156
3166
4166
5167
6167
7167
8167
9167
10178
11178
12178
13178
14178
15178
16179
17179
18189
19189
20189
21189
221810
231810
241810
251810
261910
271910
281910
291911
301911
311911

How May really feels in Minakami

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.

Minakami weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -6°11020.621.89.80.0
Feb / -6°9417.418.410.60.0
Mar / -3°12317.914.811.70.3
Apr12° / 11614.94.212.92.7
May17° / 12914.90.313.94.9
Jun21° / 13°15517.1014.55.0
Jul24° / 18°20520.4014.35.0
Aug25° / 18°14517.1013.45.6
Sep21° / 15°17615.8012.25.4
Oct16° / 15313.70.311.14.4
Nov10° / 8513.44.8102.0
Dec / -3°9618.216.69.50.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34060
43961
53961
63862
73862
83763
93763
103763
113862
123763
133763
143664
153763
163664
173664
183763
193664
203664
213565
223466
233466
243466
253367
263466
273367
283367
293268
303268
313169

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Minakami gets around 129 mm of rain and snow over 14.9 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 47% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1474
2473
3473
4473
5472
6472
7482
8482
9491
10491
11501
12501
13501
14501
15501
16500
17490
18490
19480
20480
21480
22470
23470
24460
25460
26450
27440
28440
29440
30440
31440

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49820
59820
69820
79820
89820
99820
109820
119820
129730
139730
149730
159730
169730
179541
189541
199451
209451
219361
229361
239271
249271
259181
269091
2789101
2889101
2987121
3086131
3185141

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:57 AM to 4:32 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.54:576:26
213.54:566:27
313.54:556:27
413.64:536:28
513.64:526:29
613.64:516:30
713.74:506:31
813.74:496:32
913.74:486:33
1013.84:476:34
1113.84:466:35
1213.84:456:35
1313.94:446:36
1413.94:436:37
1513.94:436:38
1614.04:426:39
1714.04:416:40
1814.04:406:40
1914.04:396:41
2014.14:396:42
2114.14:386:43
2214.14:376:44
2314.14:376:45
2414.24:366:45
2514.24:356:46
2614.24:356:47
2714.24:346:48
2814.24:346:48
2914.34:336:49
3014.34:336:50
3114.34:326:50

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.51 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.2 kWh/m² to a high of 5.51 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.51 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Minakami?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Minakami for sightseeing.

What to pack for Minakami in May

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

In May, Minakami sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 8°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Minakami in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Minakami peaks around August 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateAug 12UV 10Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Minakami 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 Minakami is worst in April — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1821 µg/m³Dec 1610 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct12Good
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Minakami?

Minakami sits at 36.7°N, 139.0°E, 391 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Numata, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Minakami

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Minakami has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 572 m around an average of 501 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,655 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,549 m.

The land around Minakami is covered by trees (66%) within 3 km, trees (83%) within 16 km, and trees (79%) within 80 km.

3 km
572 m
16 km
1,655 m
80 km
2,549 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Numata 8.0 km · Nakanojō 17 km · Shibukawa 23 km · Ogura 26 km · Kanekomachi 31 km · Maebashi 33 km · Midori 38 km · Ōmamachō-ōmama 38 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 Minakami (36.6882°, 138.9863°, elevation 391 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. 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).