Otaru weather in October

In October, Otaru sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 117 mm of precipitation across 14.9 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 11°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Otaru's 2nd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Otaru's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
117 mm
14.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
5:57 AM – 4:45 PM
Cloud cover
58%
2nd clearest
Wind
16 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 11°C by the end.

A typical October day in Otaru reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 6°C cooler than September and about 7°C warmer than November.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11713
21712
31612
41612
51612
61612
71611
81511
91511
101511
111511
121510
131410
141410
151410
16149
17139
18139
19139
20139
21138
22128
23128
24128
25128
26117
27117
28117
29117
30117
31106

How October really feels in Otaru

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

October sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Otaru weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -6°9820.824.29.20.0
Feb-2° / -6°791820.210.20.0
Mar / -3°761515.411.60.0
Apr / 6611.2513.10.7
May12° / 8411.70.414.43.0
Jun17° / 12°7610.6015.15.1
Jul21° / 17°12712.8014.95.9
Aug23° / 19°16314.2013.86.0
Sep20° / 16°14913.9012.35.6
Oct14° / 11714.90.610.83.5
Nov / 12918.611.29.50.7
Dec-0° / -3°12621.922.58.90.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34753
44753
54753
64951
74951
85050
95149
105248
115347
125347
135446
145446
155446
165446
175446
185446
195446
205347
215347
225347
235248
245248
255149
265149
275050
285050
294951
304852
314654

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Otaru gets around 117 mm of rain and snow over 14.9 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 48% and peaks near 51% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1510
2510
3510
4510
5510
6500
7500
8500
9490
10491
11481
12471
13471
14461
15461
16461
17462
18452
19462
20462
21463
22463
23464
24474
25475
26475
27486
28497
29498
30509
315110

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
174242
276222
377212
480191
582171
684151
785141
887121
989101
109091
119280
129370
139460
149550
159640
169640
179730
189730
199820
209820
219910
229910
239910
249910
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

Wind in October

Winds average 16 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 10 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 84 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:39 AM to 6:16 AM, and sunset from 5:11 PM to 4:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:395:11
211.55:405:09
311.45:415:07
411.45:435:06
511.35:445:04
611.35:455:02
711.25:465:00
811.25:474:58
911.15:494:57
1011.15:504:55
1111.05:514:53
1211.05:524:52
1310.95:534:50
1410.95:554:48
1510.85:564:47
1610.85:574:45
1710.75:584:43
1810.76:004:42
1910.76:014:40
2010.66:024:38
2110.66:044:37
2210.56:054:35
2310.56:064:34
2410.46:074:32
2510.46:094:31
2610.36:104:30
2710.36:114:28
2810.26:134:27
2910.26:144:25
3010.16:154:24
3110.16:164:23

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.4 kWh/m² to a high of 5.59 kWh/m² in May across the year — October's 2.86 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.1Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Otaru

In seasonPeak

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

Otaru 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 October a good time to visit Otaru?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Otaru.

What to pack for Otaru in October

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

In October, Otaru sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 9°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer. About 15 days see rain.

rain geara warm layer

Sea temperature near Otaru in October

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in October — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 23 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 31 to Sep 22 — about 1.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul19Cool
Aug22Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct17Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Otaru in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Otaru peaks around August 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 18UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul5Moderate
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Otaru in October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Otaru 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).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodApr 1121 µg/m³Dec 169 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb15Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep10Good
Oct12Good
Nov11Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Otaru?

Otaru sits at 43.2°N, 141.0°E, 30 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Yoichi, 19 km away.

Topography around Otaru

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Otaru has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 508 m around an average of 83 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,289 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,867 m.

The land around Otaru is covered by trees (44%), artificial surfaces (32%) and water (23%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (46%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
508 m
16 km
1,289 m
80 km
1,867 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Yoichi 19 km · Ishikari 29 km · Sapporo 31 km · Kutchan 38 km · Tōbetsu 42 km · Ebetsu 45 km · Niseko 50 km · Kitahiroshima 52 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 Otaru (43.1894°, 141.0022°, elevation 30 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).