Sakai weather in January

In January, Sakai sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 251 mm of precipitation across 24.8 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sakai's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sakai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
251 mm
24.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:11 AM – 4:58 PM
Cloud cover
68%
10th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month.

A typical January day in Sakai reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 10°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)
184
284
384
484
584
674
774
874
974
1074
1174
1273
1373
1473
1573
1673
1773
1873
1973
2073
2173
2273
2363
2463
2563
2663
2763
2863
2963
3063
3163

How January really feels in Sakai

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 28 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
28
wind chill below the day's low

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

Sakai weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 25124.811.89.80.6
Feb / 166209.210.60.7
Mar10° / 16316.73.611.71.9
Apr14° / 10°13613.20.112.93.9
May19° / 15°14812.6013.95.7
Jun22° / 19°17512.8014.45.9
Jul26° / 23°23214.8014.25.8
Aug28° / 25°14710.8013.46.0
Sep25° / 21°21413.6012.26.1
Oct20° / 16°17113.7011.15.9
Nov15° / 11°18917.30.110.13.8
Dec10° / 26323.25.99.61.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 28% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33862
43862
53862
63763
73763
83763
93763
103763
113664
123664
133664
143565
153565
163466
173466
183466
193466
203466
213367
223367
233367
243367
253367
263268
273367
283466
293466
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Sakai gets around 251 mm of rain and snow over 24.8 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 80% and peaks near 82% on the wettest days, and about 12 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
17931
27932
37932
48033
58033
67934
77934
87934
97834
107835
117835
127835
137736
147736
157837
167838
177838
187839
197939
207940
217940
228041
238141
248142
258242
268243
278243
288243
298243
308243
318243

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:11 AM to 7:04 AM, and sunset from 4:46 PM to 5:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:114:46
29.67:114:47
39.67:114:47
49.67:114:48
59.67:124:49
69.67:124:50
79.67:124:50
89.77:124:51
99.77:124:52
109.77:124:53
119.77:124:54
129.77:114:55
139.77:114:56
149.87:114:56
159.87:114:57
169.87:114:58
179.87:104:59
189.87:105:00
199.97:105:01
209.97:105:02
219.97:095:03
229.97:095:04
239.97:085:05
2410.07:085:06
2510.07:075:07
2610.07:075:08
2710.07:065:09
2810.17:065:10
2910.17:055:11
3010.17:045:12
3110.27:045:13

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.34 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.98 kWh/m² to a high of 5.69 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.34 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.1Moderate
52.1Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Sakai

In seasonPeak

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

Sakai 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 Sakai?

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

0.6
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 Sakai.

What to pack for Sakai in January

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

In January, Sakai sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 25 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Sakai in January

The nearest coast averages about 13°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 27°C and coldest in March near 11°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 16 to Nov 5 — about 4.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan13Bracing
Feb12Bracing
Mar11Bracing
Apr13Bracing
May16Cool
Jun20Refreshing
Jul24Refreshing
Aug27Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct22Refreshing
Nov19Cool
Dec16Cool

UV index in Sakai 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 Sakai peaks around July 18 at about 10 (extreme) — 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 highVery highModerateJul 18UV 10Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Sakai 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 Sakai is worst in April — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodApr 1620 µg/m³Dec 1310 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug12Good
Sep11Good
Oct10Good
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sakai?

Sakai sits at 36.1°N, 136.2°E, 5 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Maruoka, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Sakai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sakai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 936 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,671 m.

The land around Sakai is covered by cropland (67%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, trees (39%), cropland (21%) and water (20%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
31 m
16 km
936 m
80 km
2,671 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Maruoka 7.0 km · Awara 8.0 km · Mikuni 9.0 km · Fukui-shi 10 km · Iijima 16 km · Kaga 21 km · Sabae 22 km · Takefu 27 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 Sakai (36.1473°, 136.1941°, elevation 5 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).