Nikko weather in December

In December, Nikko sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 59 mm of precipitation across 10.1 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 7°C in the first days to 2°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Nikko's 2nd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nikko's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
59 mm
10.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
6:53 AM – 4:23 PM
Cloud cover
55%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Nikko is city in Tochigi prefecture, Japan.

Density
54/km²
people per km²
Founded
~800 CE

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 7°C in the first days to 2°C by the end.

A typical December day in Nikko reaches about 4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -0°C and 8°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
170
270
370
46-1
56-1
66-1
76-1
85-1
95-1
105-2
115-2
125-2
135-2
144-2
154-2
164-3
174-3
184-3
194-3
203-3
213-3
223-3
233-3
243-4
253-4
263-4
273-4
282-4
292-4
302-4
312-4

How December really feels in Nikko

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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 December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Nikko weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -6°629.611.69.80.0
Feb / -5°589.59.610.60.0
Mar / -2°112149.611.70.5
Apr12° / 13715.12.812.92.8
May17° / 17617.10.113.94.5
Jun20° / 14°22822.2014.54.3
Jul24° / 18°30525.4014.34.3
Aug25° / 19°25925013.44.5
Sep21° / 15°26920.1012.24.7
Oct16° / 19816.60.111.14.1
Nov10° / 849.41.1102.3
Dec / -3°5910.17.89.50.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25446
35446
45347
55446
65446
75545
85545
95644
105545
115545
125545
135545
145545
155446
165446
175446
185446
195446
205347
215347
225347
235347
245347
255248
265248
275248
285347
295347
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Nikko gets around 59 mm of rain and snow over 10.1 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 32% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13113
23114
33115
43216
53217
63218
73219
83220
93221
103221
113122
123123
133123
143124
153124
163125
173125
183126
193226
203227
213228
223329
233329
243330
253331
263331
273332
283333
293333
303334
313335

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 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 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 6:41 AM to 6:59 AM, and sunset from 4:21 PM to 4:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.76:414:21
29.76:424:21
39.66:434:21
49.66:444:21
59.66:454:21
69.66:464:21
79.66:464:21
89.66:474:21
99.66:484:21
109.56:494:21
119.56:494:21
129.56:504:22
139.56:514:22
149.56:524:22
159.56:524:22
169.56:534:23
179.56:534:23
189.56:544:23
199.56:554:24
209.56:554:24
219.56:564:24
229.56:564:25
239.56:574:25
249.56:574:26
259.56:574:26
269.56:584:27
279.56:584:28
289.56:584:28
299.56:594:29
309.56:594:30
319.56:594:30

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.26 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 5.28 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 2.26 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Nikko

In seasonPeak

None of Nikko's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Nikko's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Nikko?

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

0.1
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 Nikko.

What to pack for Nikko in December

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

In December, Nikko sees daytime highs around 4°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Nikko 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 Nikko peaks around July 18 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJul 18UV 10Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Nikko 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 Nikko 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 1721 µg/m³Dec 179 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Nikko?

Nikko sits at 36.8°N, 139.6°E, 555 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Imaichi, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Nikko

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nikko has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 635 m around an average of 673 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,272 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,551 m.

The land around Nikko is covered by trees (88%) within 3 km, trees (87%) within 16 km, and trees (72%) within 80 km.

3 km
635 m
16 km
2,272 m
80 km
2,551 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Imaichi 7.0 km · Kanuma 25 km · Yaita 29 km · Utsunomiya 31 km · Ujiie 32 km · Sakura 33 km · Hōshakuji 35 km · Ōtawara 39 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 Nikko (36.75°, 139.6167°, elevation 555 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. 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).