Climate and average weather in Murakami

In Murakami, the summers are muggy, hot, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are cold, snowy, and mostly cloudy.

Best: early May to late July

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Murakami typically varies from -1°C to 28°C, and is rarely below -4°C or above 33°C. August is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Murakami for warm-weather activities are from early May to late July and late August to mid October.

Hottest
Aug
28°
Coldest
Jan
-0°
Wettest
Jul
286 mm
Driest
Apr
120 mm
Rain / yr
2127 mm
219 wet days
Daylight
9.3–14.7 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
4 m
38.2°N
Clearest
Aug
63% cloud

Murakami is city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

Density
50/km²
people per km²
Founded
1954

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

Murakami weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early May to late July.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Murakami, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 3.6 months, from June 8 to September 25, with daily high temperatures above 23°C. The hottest month of the year in Murakami is August, with an average high of 28°C and low of 22°C.

The cool season lasts 3.5 months, from December 5 to March 21, with daily high temperatures below 8°C. The coldest month of the year in Murakami is January, with an average low of -0°C and high of 3°C.

Days typically run about 6°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 8°C) in May.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan30
Feb40
Mar72
Apr146
May1912
Jun2317
Jul2721
Aug2822
Sep2518
Oct1912
Nov127
Dec62

How hot and cold Murakami really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -5°C (around January 27), with roughly 113 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in January.

-10°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°C)Air high (°C)Feels-like low (°C)Air low (°C)
Jan33-50
Feb44-50
Mar77-22
Apr141446
May19191112
Jun23231617
Jul28272121
Aug31282222
Sep25251818
Oct19191212
Nov121247
Dec66-22

Average hourly temperature in Murakami

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on August afternoons, near 28°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -0°C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Murakami weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -0°20926.923.29.60.0
Feb / -1°14722.118.810.50.0
Mar / 14820.711.711.70.9
Apr14° / 12015.11.7133.5
May19° / 12°12613.10145.7
Jun23° / 17°15613.1014.66.1
Jul27° / 21°28617.4014.45.2
Aug28° / 22°20714.8013.55.2
Sep25° / 18°15714.2012.35.9
Oct19° / 12°16716.10115.1
Nov12° / 18319.71.69.92.6
Dec / 22225.614.59.40.4

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Murakami gets about 2127 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 4.7 months, from around Nov 8 to Mar 29, peaking in January at about 87% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jun 1.

July is the wettest month by volume, with 286 mm over about 17 wet days; April is the driest, with 120 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwetterdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetJan 6 · 87%Jun 1 · 37%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan8627
Feb7922
Mar6621
Apr5115
May4213
Jun4513
Jul5517
Aug4815
Sep4814
Oct5116
Nov6620
Dec8226

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Murakami collects about 2127 mm of rain across 219 wet days — roughly 177 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. July is the wettest month with 286 mm, while April is the driest at just 120 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 34% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

050100150200250300350JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec209147148120126156286207157167183222
Rainfall (mm)Rain daysSnow days
Jan2092723
Feb1472219
Mar1482112
Apr120152
May126130
Jun156130
Jul286170
Aug207150
Sep157140
Oct167160
Nov183202
Dec2222615

Snow in Murakami

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Murakami averages about 72 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 8 to Apr 23 — about 5.5 months.

January is snowiest, with roughly 22 days of snow and an estimated 138 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 409 cm of snow.

0510152025JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonJan 27
Snow daysSnowfall (cm)
Jan23138
Feb19112
Mar1252
Apr25
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov27
Dec1596

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Murakami, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around July 21 and lasts for 3.9 months, ending around November 17. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 44% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 18 and lasts for 4.1 months, ending around March 21. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 90% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAug 21 · 45%Jan 24 · 10%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan1090
Feb1486
Mar2872
Apr4060
May4258
Jun3268
Jul2971
Aug4456
Sep3862
Oct4258
Nov3268
Dec1585

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 18, brings about 14 h 42 min of light; the shortest, around December 17, only 9 h 18 min — a swing of roughly 5 h 24 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.67:034:40
Feb10.56:415:12
Mar11.76:015:43
Apr13.05:136:12
May14.04:366:40
Jun14.64:237:02
Jul14.44:357:00
Aug13.55:016:31
Sep12.35:295:44
Oct11.05:574:57
Nov9.96:314:24
Dec9.46:584:19

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Murakami averages about 5 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 0 and 9 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 2.7 months, from around Mar 29 to Jun 19. The sunniest month is May, with roughly 8 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is January, down near 1 sunny days — about 93% fewer than the May peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedMay 259 daysJan 310 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan1Gloomy
Feb1Gloomy
Mar4Gloomy
Apr7Gloomy
May9Mixed
Jun6Gloomy
Jul5Gloomy
Aug8Mixed
Sep7Gloomy
Oct7Gloomy
Nov4Gloomy
Dec2Gloomy

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Murakami, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 3.8 months, from around June 8 to October 2. The muggiest month is August, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 98% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around October 3 to June 7, and April is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecApr 10 · 100%Aug 4 · 1%oppressivemuggycomfortablehumiddrycomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
Jan10000000
Feb10000000
Mar10000000
Apr9910000
May80174000
Jun1931321620
Jul031942351
Aug021129553
Sep11212727130
Oct69209200
Nov9910000
Dec10000000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Murakami is typically calm, near 10 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 5.9 months, from around Oct 28 to Apr 26. The windiest month is December, averaging about 13 km/h (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Apr 27 to Oct 27, with July the calmest month at about 8 km/h.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezeDec 31 · 14 km/hJul 31 · 7 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan13light breeze
Feb13light breeze
Mar12calm
Apr11calm
May9calm
Jun8calm
Jul8calm
Aug8calm
Sep8calm
Oct10calm
Nov11calm
Dec13light breeze

Hazard calendar for Murakami

In seasonPeak

When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.

Murakami 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

Best time to visit Murakami

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Murakami throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around late July, Murakami is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Murakami for general outdoor tourist activities run from early May to early August and again from mid August to late October, with a peak score in the first week of June.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJun 4 · 6.4

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.0poor
Feb0.0poor
Mar0.9poor
Apr3.5fair
May5.7good
Jun6.0good
Jul5.2fair
Aug5.2fair
Sep5.9good
Oct5.1fair
Nov2.6poor
Dec0.4poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Murakami for hot-weather activities is from mid July to mid September, with a peak score in the first week of August.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 5 · 6.4

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Murakami, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around August (highs near 28°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 3°C), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In August, Murakami sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Murakami

Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in March near 9°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 21 to Oct 29 — about 4.3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan12Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr11Bracing
May15Bracing
Jun20Cool
Jul23Refreshing
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct22Refreshing
Nov18Cool
Dec15Bracing

UV index (midday) in Murakami by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Murakami peaks around August 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateLowAug 15UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Average hourly UV index in Murakami

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in August the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb00
Mar3.50
Apr6.51.5
May7.54
Jun84.5
Jul85
Aug85
Sep6.53.5
Oct50
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Murakami by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Murakami is worst in April — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1421 µg/m³Dec 159 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar20Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug12Good
Sep10Good
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Murakami typically lasts about 315 days, from around February 28 to January 8 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 1 to December 7.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonFeb 2850%Apr 190%Dec 790%Jan 850%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan4431
Feb4028
Mar7230
Apr970
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov990
Dec8024

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Murakami banks about 1,914 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around August.

05001,0001,5002,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr23
May171
Jun294
Jul427
Aug474
Sep342
Oct167
Nov15
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Murakami receives about 3.8 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.6 and 5.9 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.3 months, from around Mar 10 to Sep 17. The brightest month is May, averaging about 5.6 kWh/m² (bright).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.7 kWh/m² — roughly 70% less than the May peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseMay 315.9 kWhDec 111.6 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan2.1Moderate
Feb3.0Moderate
Mar4.1Bright
Apr5.1Bright
May5.6Bright
Jun5.5Bright
Jul4.9Bright
Aug4.9Bright
Sep3.9Moderate
Oct3.0Moderate
Nov2.0Moderate
Dec1.6Dim

Where is Murakami?

Murakami sits at 38.2°N, 139.5°E, 4 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Tainai, 20 km away.

Topography around Murakami

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Murakami has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 402 m around an average of 54 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 998 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,110 m.

The land around Murakami is covered by trees (51%), cropland (22%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, trees (52%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and water (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
402 m
16 km
998 m
80 km
2,110 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Tainai 20 km · Shibata 34 km · Suibara 48 km · Agano 50 km · Nagai 50 km · Kameda-honchō 52 km · Niigata 52 km · Niitsu-honchō 58 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 Murakami (38.2333°, 139.4833°, elevation 4 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).