Sarubetsu weather in May

In May, Sarubetsu sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 100 mm of precipitation across 10.8 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sarubetsu's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sarubetsu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
100 mm
10.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
4:10 AM – 6:36 PM
Cloud cover
66%
8th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in Sarubetsu reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1144
2154
3154
4155
5155
6155
7155
8155
9166
10166
11166
12166
13166
14166
15167
16167
17167
18177
19177
20177
21178
22178
23178
24178
25178
26178
27178
28189
29189
30189
31189

How May really feels in Sarubetsu

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May 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

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

Sarubetsu weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -13°616.77.19.20.0
Feb-1° / -12°487.27.710.20.0
Mar / -6°779.78.211.60.1
Apr11° / 8810.84.113.12.6
May16° / 10010.80.414.45.0
Jun19° / 11°899.8015.15.9
Jul22° / 15°11411.3014.86.2
Aug24° / 17°15913.1013.86.2
Sep21° / 12°17112.5012.35.9
Oct15° / 11510.20.110.84.7
Nov / -1°819.42.29.51.5
Dec / -9°7686.68.90.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34456
44456
54456
64258
74258
84159
94159
104060
114060
123961
133961
143961
153961
163961
174060
184060
194060
204060
214060
224060
234060
244060
254060
264060
274060
283862
293862
303862
313763

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Sarubetsu gets around 100 mm of rain and snow over 10.8 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 35% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1335
2335
3334
4334
5343
6343
7343
8353
9352
10352
11352
12352
13352
14352
15352
16352
17352
18352
19352
20351
21351
22351
23351
24351
25351
26350
27360
28360
29360
30350
31350

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
18991
19991
20991
21991
22982
23982
24982
25973
26973
27973
28964
29964
30955
31946

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:28 AM to 3:57 AM, and sunset from 6:19 PM to 6:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.94:286:19
213.94:276:21
313.94:256:22
414.04:246:23
514.04:236:24
614.14:216:25
714.14:206:26
814.14:196:27
914.24:186:29
1014.24:166:30
1114.34:156:31
1214.34:146:32
1314.34:136:33
1414.44:126:34
1514.44:116:35
1614.44:106:36
1714.54:096:37
1814.54:076:38
1914.54:076:39
2014.64:066:40
2114.64:056:41
2214.64:046:42
2314.74:036:43
2414.74:026:44
2514.74:016:45
2614.84:016:46
2714.84:006:47
2814.83:596:48
2914.83:596:49
3014.93:586:50
3114.93:576:51

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.16 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.93 kWh/m² to a high of 5.16 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.16 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Sarubetsu

In seasonPeak

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

Sarubetsu 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 May a good time to visit Sarubetsu?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sarubetsu for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sarubetsu in May

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

In May, Sarubetsu sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Sarubetsu in May

The nearest coast averages about 6°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 36 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 1°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May6Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul15Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec7Bracing

UV index in Sarubetsu in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sarubetsu peaks around August 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 18UV 8Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul5Moderate
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Sarubetsu in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Sarubetsu is worst in April — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1315 µg/m³Dec 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun9Good
Jul9Good
Aug8Good
Sep7Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sarubetsu?

Sarubetsu sits at 42.9°N, 143.3°E, 25 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Obihiro, 12 km away.

Topography around Sarubetsu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sarubetsu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 155 m around an average of 86 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 333 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,032 m.

The land around Sarubetsu is covered by cropland (52%) and trees (40%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and cropland (42%) within 16 km, and trees (65%) within 80 km.

3 km
155 m
16 km
333 m
80 km
2,032 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Obihiro 12 km · Otofuke 17 km · Memuro-minami 25 km · Kushiro 85 km · Furano 94 km · Shimo-furano 94 km · Shizunai-furukawachō 99 km · Kitami 113 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 Sarubetsu (42.8724°, 143.3376°, elevation 25 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).