Sapporo weather in October

In October, Sapporo sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 99 mm of precipitation across 13.6 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 11°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 Sapporo's 2nd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sapporo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
99 mm
13.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
5:56 AM – 4:44 PM
Cloud cover
59%
2nd clearest
Wind
9 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 11°C by the end.

A typical October day in Sapporo reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 6°C cooler than September and about 8°C warmer than November.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1179
2179
3179
4179
5169
6168
7168
8168
9168
10157
11157
12157
13157
14146
15146
16146
17146
18146
19135
20135
21135
22135
23135
24125
25124
26124
27124
28114
29114
30114
31113

How October really feels in Sapporo

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.

Sapporo weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 4th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34555
44555
54654
64753
74852
84951
95050
105149
115248
125347
135446
145446
155545
165446
175545
185545
195545
205545
215545
225545
235545
245545
255347
265347
275347
285248
295248
305248
315149

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Sapporo gets around 99 mm of rain and snow over 13.6 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 44% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1480
2480
3480
4470
5470
6460
7460
8460
9450
10451
11441
12441
13431
14431
15421
16421
17421
18412
19412
20413
21423
22424
23424
24425
25435
26436
27437
28447
29448
30449
314510

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
182171
284151
386140
488120
589110
690100
79190
89370
99460
109550
119640
129640
139730
149730
159820
169820
179820
189910
199910
209910
219910
229910
239910
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

Wind in October

Winds average 9 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

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 5:38 AM to 6:15 AM, and sunset from 5:10 PM to 4:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:385:10
211.55:395:08
311.45:405:06
411.45:415:04
511.35:425:02
611.35:435:01
711.25:454:59
811.25:464:57
911.15:474:55
1011.15:484:54
1111.05:494:52
1211.05:514:50
1310.95:524:49
1410.95:534:47
1510.85:544:45
1610.85:564:44
1710.85:574:42
1810.75:584:40
1910.75:594:39
2010.66:014:37
2110.66:024:36
2210.56:034:34
2310.56:044:33
2410.46:064:31
2510.46:074:30
2610.36:084:28
2710.36:104:27
2810.26:114:26
2910.26:124:24
3010.26:134:23
3110.16:154:22

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.9 kWh/m².

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 — October's 2.9 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
103.1Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Sapporo

In seasonPeak

In October, Sapporo sits inside its pacific typhoon and rainy season 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 October a good time to visit Sapporo?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sapporo.

What to pack for Sapporo in October

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

In October, Sapporo sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 6°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Sapporo 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 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 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 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 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 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
October 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).