Niigata weather in January

In January, Niigata sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 177 mm of precipitation across 26.5 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 6°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Niigata's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Niigata's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
177 mm
26.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:04 AM – 4:42 PM
Cloud cover
74%
12th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.92 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.3
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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 6°C through the month.

A typical January day in Niigata reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and on par with February.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
174
274
374
474
574
674
764
863
963
1063
1163
1263
1363
1463
1563
1663
1763
1863
1963
2063
2163
2263
2363
2463
2563
2663
2763
2863
2962
3062
3162

How January really feels in Niigata

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Niigata weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
32971
42971
52872
62872
72872
82872
92872
102872
112773
122773
132773
142773
152773
162773
172773
182773
192773
202773
212773
222773
232773
242872
252872
262872
272773
282773
292773
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Niigata gets around 177 mm of rain and snow over 26.5 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 85% and peaks near 88% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
18622
28722
38723
48724
58826
68827
78828
88829
98730
108730
118731
128632
138632
148533
158533
168434
178434
188435
198335
208335
218336
228336
238336
248437
258438
268438
278439
288539
298539
308539
318539

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 23 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 22 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
124breezy
224breezy
324breezy
424breezy
523breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:05 AM to 6:56 AM, and sunset from 4:29 PM to 4:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:054:29
29.47:054:30
39.47:054:31
49.47:054:32
59.57:054:32
69.57:054:33
79.57:054:34
89.57:054:35
99.57:054:36
109.57:054:37
119.57:054:38
129.67:054:39
139.67:054:39
149.67:044:40
159.67:044:41
169.67:044:42
179.77:044:43
189.77:034:44
199.77:034:45
209.77:024:46
219.87:024:47
229.87:024:48
239.87:014:50
249.87:014:51
259.97:004:52
269.96:594:53
279.96:594:54
289.96:584:55
2910.06:584:56
3010.06:574:57
3110.06:564:58

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.92 kWh/m².

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 — January's 1.92 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
181.9Dim
191.9Dim
202.0Dim
212.0Moderate
222.0Moderate
232.0Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Niigata

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Niigata?

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

0.3
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Niigata.

What to pack for Niigata in January

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

In January, Niigata sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 27 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Niigata in January

The nearest coast averages about 12°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 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 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 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 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 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
January 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).