Niigata weather in December

In December, Niigata sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 195 mm of precipitation across 25.4 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 11°C in the first days to 7°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Niigata's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Niigata's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
195 mm
25.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
6:58 AM – 4:22 PM
Cloud cover
73%
11th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10
Air quality
Good
PM2.5 10 µg/m³ · 2010

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 11°C in the first days to 7°C by the end.

A typical December day in Niigata reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°C and 13°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1117
2117
3117
4117
5117
6107
7106
8106
9106
10106
1196
1296
1396
1496
1595
1695
1795
1895
1985
2085
2185
2285
2385
2485
2585
2684
2784
2874
2974
3074
3174

How December really feels in Niigata

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 6 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
6
wind chill below the day's low

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

Niigata weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 17726.510.39.70.3
Feb / 11421.28.810.50.4
Mar / 11018.62.511.71.4
Apr13° / 9012.60.2133.5
May18° / 13°9911.80145.6
Jun22° / 18°12311.2014.66.3
Jul26° / 23°22615.2014.45.8
Aug28° / 24°16012.9013.55.7
Sep25° / 21°14614.2012.35.9
Oct20° / 16°15515.80115.4
Nov14° / 10°16419.70.2103.2
Dec / 19525.44.19.41.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23070
33070
42971
52872
62773
72674
82674
92674
102674
112773
122674
132674
142674
152773
162773
172872
182872
192872
203070
213070
223070
233070
243070
252971
263070
273070
283070
293070
303070
312971

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Niigata gets around 195 mm of rain and snow over 25.4 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 82% and peaks near 86% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1754
2765
3775
4776
5787
6798
7809
8819
98110
108211
118312
128312
138313
148414
158414
168415
178415
188315
198316
208316
218316
228317
238317
248317
258318
268418
278418
288419
298519
308520
318621

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December 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 December

Winds average 22 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120light breeze
220breezy
320breezy
420breezy
520breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2023breezy
2123breezy
2223breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2824breezy
2924breezy
3024breezy
3124breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:47 AM to 7:05 AM, and sunset from 4:20 PM to 4:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.66:474:20
29.56:484:20
39.56:494:20
49.56:494:20
59.56:504:20
69.56:514:20
79.56:524:20
89.56:534:20
99.46:544:20
109.46:544:20
119.46:554:20
129.46:564:21
139.46:564:21
149.46:574:21
159.46:584:21
169.46:584:22
179.46:594:22
189.47:004:22
199.47:004:23
209.47:014:23
219.47:014:23
229.47:024:24
239.47:024:24
249.47:034:25
259.47:034:25
269.47:034:26
279.47:044:27
289.47:044:27
299.47:044:28
309.47:054:28
319.47:054:29

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.62 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.62 kWh/m² to a high of 5.68 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 1.62 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.7Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Niigata

In seasonPeak

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

Niigata 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 December a good time to visit Niigata?

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

1.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Niigata.

What to pack for Niigata in December

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

In December, Niigata sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 25 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Niigata in December

The nearest coast averages about 15°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in March near 10°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 22 to Oct 30 — about 4.3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan12Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr11Bracing
May15Bracing
Jun19Cool
Jul23Refreshing
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct22Refreshing
Nov18Cool
Dec15Cool

UV index in Niigata in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Niigata peaks around August 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highModerateAug 13UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Niigata in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Niigata is worst in April — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Niigata's WHO annual average of 10 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1216 µg/m³Oct 127 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun11Good
Jul9Good
Aug8Good
Sep7Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Niigata?

Niigata sits at 37.9°N, 139.0°E, 1 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Kameda-honchō, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Niigata

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Niigata has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 29 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 42 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,110 m.

The land around Niigata is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and water (39%) within 3 km, water (52%) and cropland (24%) within 16 km, and water (45%) and trees (44%) within 80 km.

3 km
29 m
16 km
42 m
80 km
2,110 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Kameda-honchō 8.0 km · Niitsu-honchō 15 km · Shirone 18 km · Agano 19 km · Suibara 19 km · Maki 24 km · Gosen 24 km · Shibata 26 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 Niigata (37.9226°, 139.0412°, elevation 1 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).