Mizusawa weather in January

In January, Mizusawa sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -7°C, with 58 mm of precipitation across 10.7 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mizusawa's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mizusawa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-7°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
58 mm
10.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
6:59 AM – 4:31 PM
Cloud cover
65%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.46 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 1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mizusawa reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -7°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -3°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12-5
22-5
32-5
42-5
51-6
61-6
71-6
81-6
91-6
101-6
111-6
121-6
131-6
141-7
151-7
161-7
171-7
181-7
191-7
201-7
211-7
221-7
231-7
241-7
251-7
261-7
271-7
281-7
291-7
301-7
311-7

How January really feels in Mizusawa

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
27 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Mizusawa 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 / -7°5810.7129.60.0
Feb / -7°5310.19.710.50.0
Mar / -3°9213.28.211.70.6
Apr13° / 9813.42.2133.3
May18° / 11012.5014.15.4
Jun21° / 14°12312.9014.75.7
Jul25° / 18°16616.5014.55.5
Aug26° / 19°15315.2013.55.6
Sep22° / 15°15113.5012.35.8
Oct17° / 12011.20115.0
Nov10° / 7311.72.29.92.2
Dec / -3°6812.48.89.30.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34159
44159
54159
64159
74159
84159
94159
104258
114258
124258
134357
144357
154456
164357
174357
184357
194357
204357
214357
224357
234357
244357
254357
264357
274357
284258
294258
304258
314159

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Mizusawa gets around 58 mm of rain and snow over 10.7 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 12 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13738
23738
33738
43639
53639
63639
73539
83539
93439
103439
113439
123439
133439
143439
153439
163438
173438
183437
193437
203437
213437
223437
233537
243537
253537
263537
273537
283437
293437
303437
313437

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 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 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
110calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:00 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 4:17 PM to 4:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.37:004:17
29.37:004:18
39.37:004:19
49.37:004:20
59.37:004:21
69.47:004:21
79.47:004:22
89.47:004:23
99.47:004:24
109.47:004:25
119.47:004:26
129.57:004:27
139.57:004:28
149.56:594:29
159.56:594:30
169.56:594:31
179.66:584:32
189.66:584:33
199.66:584:34
209.66:574:35
219.76:574:36
229.76:564:37
239.76:564:38
249.76:554:39
259.86:554:40
269.86:544:41
279.86:534:43
289.96:534:44
299.96:524:45
309.96:514:46
319.96:504:47

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.98 kWh/m² to a high of 5.24 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mizusawa

In seasonPeak

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

Mizusawa 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 Mizusawa?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mizusawa.

What to pack for Mizusawa in January

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

In January, Mizusawa sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -7°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Mizusawa in January

The nearest coast averages about 11°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 51 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in March near 7°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 21 to Oct 3 — about 2.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

5°10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan11Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul20Cool
Aug22Refreshing
Sep22Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec13Bracing

UV index in Mizusawa in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mizusawa peaks around August 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 19UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Mizusawa 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 Mizusawa 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 Mizusawa?

Mizusawa sits at 39.1°N, 141.1°E, 64 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Ōshū, 3.0 km away.

Topography around Mizusawa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mizusawa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 90 m around an average of 59 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 757 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,007 m.

The land around Mizusawa is covered by artificial surfaces (44%) and cropland (43%) within 3 km, trees (58%) and cropland (31%) within 16 km, and trees (72%) within 80 km.

3 km
90 m
16 km
757 m
80 km
2,007 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Ōshū 3.0 km · Kanegasaki 8.0 km · Kitakami 17 km · Ichinoseki 24 km · Hanamaki 28 km · Tōno 40 km · Kurihara 44 km · Kesennuma 46 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 Mizusawa (39.1333°, 141.1333°, elevation 64 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).