Motomachi weather in January

In January, Motomachi sees average daytime highs of -4°C and overnight lows near -13°C, with 57 mm of precipitation across 8.3 wet days and about 9.1 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 20% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 48 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Motomachi's 4th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Motomachi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-4°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-13°
1st coldest
Precipitation
57 mm
8.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
7:01 AM – 4:05 PM
Cloud cover
64%
4th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Motomachi is town in Abashiri district, Hokkaidō, Japan.

Density
52/km²
people per km²
Founded
1923

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

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 Motomachi reaches about -4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -13°C overnight — a 9°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 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

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

How January really feels in Motomachi

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.

Motomachi 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° / -13°578.39.69.10.0
Feb-3° / -13°446.98.310.20.0
Mar / -7°609.69.611.60.0
Apr / -1°6911.66.213.21.8
May15° / 7711.61.214.54.4
Jun19° / 10°7711.1015.25.7
Jul22° / 15°10711.6014.96.2
Aug23° / 16°13412.5013.86.2
Sep20° / 12°12212012.35.8
Oct14° / 909.80.210.84.2
Nov / -1°659.64.29.50.9
Dec-1° / -9°718.98.68.80.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35050
44951
54951
64852
74654
84555
94456
104357
114258
124159
134159
144060
153961
163961
173961
183961
193961
203862
213862
223961
233961
243961
253862
264060
274060
284060
294060
304159
314060

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Motomachi gets around 57 mm of rain and snow over 8.3 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 27% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12832
22832
32732
42731
52631
62631
72630
82530
92530
102530
112530
122530
132530
142630
152630
162730
172731
182731
192831
202832
212832
222932
232932
242932
252932
262832
272832
282732
292731
302631
312530

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 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 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
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 48 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 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:03 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 3:50 PM to 4:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.87:033:50
28.87:033:51
38.87:043:52
48.87:043:53
58.87:043:54
68.87:033:54
78.97:033:55
88.97:033:56
98.97:033:57
108.97:033:58
118.97:033:59
129.07:024:01
139.07:024:02
149.07:024:03
159.07:014:04
169.17:014:05
179.17:004:06
189.17:004:07
199.26:594:09
209.26:594:10
219.26:584:11
229.26:574:12
239.36:574:13
249.36:564:15
259.36:554:16
269.46:554:17
279.46:544:19
289.56:534:20
299.56:524:21
309.56:514:22
319.66:504:24

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.09 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.71 kWh/m² to a high of 5.2 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.09 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
112.0Dim
122.0Dim
132.0Dim
142.0Moderate
152.0Moderate
162.0Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Motomachi

In seasonPeak

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

Motomachi 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 Motomachi?

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
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Motomachi.

What to pack for Motomachi in January

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

In January, Motomachi sees daytime highs around -4°C and nights near -13°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Motomachi in January

The nearest coast averages about 0°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 33 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in February near -1°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan0Bracing
Feb-1Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr1Bracing
May5Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov7Bracing
Dec3Bracing

UV index in Motomachi 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 Motomachi peaks around August 16 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 19 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 highHighModerateLowAug 16UV 8Dec 19UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Motomachi 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 Motomachi is worst in April — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1115 µg/m³Dec 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun9Good
Jul9Good
Aug8Good
Sep7Good
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Motomachi?

Motomachi sits at 43.8°N, 144.1°E, 26 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Kitami, 17 km away.

Topography around Motomachi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Motomachi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 115 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 428 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,837 m.

The land around Motomachi is covered by cropland (34%), trees (32%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, trees (54%) and cropland (32%) within 16 km, and trees (60%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
115 m
16 km
428 m
80 km
1,837 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Kitami 17 km · Abashiri 26 km · Engaru 51 km · Nakashibetsu 77 km · Mombetsu 83 km · Shibetsu 85 km · Kushiro 97 km · Otofuke 118 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 Motomachi (43.8263°, 144.0964°, elevation 26 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).