Minamishibetsuchō in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Minamishibetsuchō sees average daytime highs around -4°C and overnight lows near -11°C, with 238 mm of precipitation over about 51 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around -4°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Minamishibetsuchō's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Minamishibetsuchō's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
-4°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
-11°C
Precipitation
238 mm
51 wet days
Avg wind
10 km/h
Travel score
0.0
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Minamishibetsuchō in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around -4°C.

A typical winter day in Minamishibetsuchō reaches about -4°C and drops to -11°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

-20°-10°10°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Minamishibetsuchō

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
90
90 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Minamishibetsuchō weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-5° / -12°6816.1219.10.0
Feb-4° / -11°6014.317.410.20.0
Mar / -7°8115.816.911.60.0
Apr / -1°8414.18.213.21.3
May15° / 9613.40.714.54.2
Jun19° / 11°9812.8015.25.5
Jul23° / 15°15714.40155.9
Aug23° / 16°17415.6013.85.8
Sep19° / 11°16915.9012.35.2
Oct13° / 13716.71.510.83.0
Nov / -2°1452015.19.40.3
Dec-2° / -9°1102123.68.70.0

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Minamishibetsuchō gets around 238 mm of rain and snow over 51 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%80%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 10 km/h across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min in early December to 10 h 48 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.0 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Minamishibetsuchō

In seasonPeak

In winter, Minamishibetsuchō overlaps its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Minamishibetsuchō 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 winter a good time to visit Minamishibetsuchō?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

0.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Minamishibetsuchō.

What to pack for Minamishibetsuchō in Winter

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

In winter, Minamishibetsuchō sees daytime highs around -4°C and nights near -11°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 51 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Minamishibetsuchō in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 7°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 60 km away) is warmest in August at about 21°C and coldest in February near 5°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 5 to Sep 20 — about 1.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan6Bracing
Feb5Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul18Cool
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct17Cool
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Minamishibetsuchō in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Minamishibetsuchō peaks around August 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 15UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Minamishibetsuchō in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Minamishibetsuchō is worst in April — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1516 µg/m³Dec 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun10Good
Jul10Good
Aug8Good
Sep7Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Minamishibetsuchō?

Minamishibetsuchō sits at 44.2°N, 142.4°E, 134 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Nayoro, 23 km away.

Topography around Minamishibetsuchō

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Minamishibetsuchō has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 m around an average of 145 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 686 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,253 m.

The land around Minamishibetsuchō is covered by cropland (50%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, trees (60%) and cropland (34%) within 16 km, and trees (74%) within 80 km.

3 km
138 m
16 km
686 m
80 km
2,253 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Winter weather nearby: Nayoro 23 km · Asahikawa 43 km · Fukagawa 56 km · Rumoi 63 km · Ashibetsu 73 km · Takikawa 77 km · Mombetsu 81 km · Sunagawa 83 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 Minamishibetsuchō (44.154°, 142.3731°, elevation 134 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.