Sapporo weather in December

In December, Sapporo sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 73 mm of precipitation across 12.7 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

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

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Sapporo's 8th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sapporo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
73 mm
12.7 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:06 AM – 3:56 PM
Cloud cover
70%
8th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Sapporo is city on Hokkaido, Japan.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 14 µg/m³ · 2010
Density
1,760/km²
people per km²
Founded
1922

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

A typical December day in Sapporo reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -6°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -5°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12-4
22-4
32-4
41-4
51-4
61-5
71-5
81-5
90-5
100-5
110-6
120-6
130-6
14-1-6
15-1-6
16-1-6
17-1-7
18-1-7
19-1-7
20-1-7
21-1-7
22-1-7
23-2-7
24-2-7
25-2-7
26-2-8
27-2-8
28-2-8
29-2-8
30-2-8
31-2-8

How December really feels in Sapporo

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
21 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Sapporo weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -10°5110.316.39.20.0
Feb-2° / -9°469.814.110.20.0
Mar / -6°6412.112.811.60.0
Apr / 7311.95.413.11.8
May15° / 9312.60.414.44.3
Jun19° / 12°8911.9015.15.7
Jul23° / 16°13813.9014.96.0
Aug24° / 18°19114.2013.86.1
Sep20° / 13°15514.7012.35.5
Oct14° / 9913.60.710.83.8
Nov / -0°8814.49.29.50.7
Dec-1° / -6°7312.717.78.90.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23169
33169
43169
53169
63070
73169
83169
93169
103169
113169
123268
133268
143268
153268
163169
173070
183169
193070
203070
212971
222971
232872
242872
252773
262773
272674
282674
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Sapporo gets around 73 mm of rain and snow over 12.7 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 41% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days, and about 18 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14552
24553
34454
44454
54355
64355
74355
84256
94256
104257
114257
124257
134257
144157
154157
164157
174157
184058
194058
204058
214058
224058
234058
244058
254058
263958
273958
283958
293858
303858
313758

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 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 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 6:53 AM to 7:12 AM, and sunset from 3:56 PM to 4:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.16:533:56
29.06:543:56
39.06:553:55
49.06:563:55
59.06:573:55
69.06:583:55
78.96:593:55
88.97:003:55
98.97:003:55
108.97:013:55
118.97:023:55
128.97:033:55
138.97:043:55
148.87:043:55
158.87:053:55
168.87:063:56
178.87:063:56
188.87:073:56
198.87:083:57
208.87:083:57
218.87:093:57
228.87:093:58
238.87:103:58
248.87:103:59
258.87:104:00
268.87:114:00
278.87:114:01
288.87:114:01
298.87:124:02
308.87:124:03
318.97:124:03

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.64 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.64 kWh/m² to a high of 5.5 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 1.64 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.7Dim
221.7Dim
231.7Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.8Dim
301.8Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Sapporo

In seasonPeak

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

Sapporo sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Sapporo?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sapporo.

What to pack for Sapporo in December

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

In December, Sapporo sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Sapporo in December

The nearest coast averages about 9°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 34 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 5°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
Feb5Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul19Cool
Aug22Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct17Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Sapporo in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sapporo 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 Sapporo 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 Sapporo is worst in April — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Sapporo's WHO annual average of 14 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodApr 1222 µg/m³Dec 159 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb16Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep10Good
Oct12Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sapporo?

Sapporo sits at 43.1°N, 141.3°E, 26 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Ebetsu, 17 km away.

Topography around Sapporo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sapporo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 37 m around an average of 20 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,095 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,863 m.

The land around Sapporo is covered by artificial surfaces (90%) within 3 km, trees (44%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 16 km, and trees (57%) and water (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
37 m
16 km
1,095 m
80 km
1,863 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Ebetsu 17 km · Ishikari 19 km · Kitahiroshima 20 km · Tōbetsu 22 km · Eniwa 27 km · Otaru 31 km · Iwamizawa 36 km · Chitose 37 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 Sapporo (43.0667°, 141.35°, elevation 26 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).