Semboku weather in January

In January, Semboku sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -8°C, with 107 mm of precipitation across 18.3 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Semboku's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Semboku's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-8°
1st coldest
Precipitation
107 mm
18.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:02 AM – 4:31 PM
Cloud cover
76%
11th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Semboku reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -8°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -5°C and 2°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-7
20-7
30-7
4-1-7
5-1-7
6-1-7
7-1-7
8-1-7
9-1-7
10-1-7
11-1-7
12-1-7
13-1-8
14-1-8
15-1-8
16-1-8
17-1-8
18-1-8
19-1-8
20-1-8
21-1-8
22-1-8
23-1-8
24-1-8
25-1-8
26-1-8
27-1-8
28-1-8
29-1-8
30-1-8
31-1-8

How January really feels in Semboku

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Semboku weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -8°10718.322.19.50.0
Feb / -7°9816.118.310.40.0
Mar / -4°13418.316.211.70.1
Apr10° / 13315.95132.1
May17° / 150150.114.24.6
Jun21° / 13°15815.1014.85.3
Jul24° / 18°25019.6014.55.2
Aug25° / 19°21617.9013.65.4
Sep21° / 14°18715.8012.35.4
Oct15° / 159150.310.94.1
Nov / 13717.66.49.81.2
Dec / -5°13019.419.29.20.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 81%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11981
21981
31882
41882
51981
61882
71882
81882
91882
101882
111882
121882
131882
141882
151882
161882
171882
181981
191981
201981
211981
222080
232080
242080
252080
262080
272080
282080
292080
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Semboku gets around 107 mm of rain and snow over 18.3 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 59% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days, and about 22 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16473
26374
36374
46274
56274
66174
76174
86073
95973
105972
115872
125872
135771
145771
155770
165770
175770
185770
195769
205769
215769
225869
235869
245870
255870
265870
275870
285870
295870
305870
315871

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 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:03 AM to 6:53 AM, and sunset from 4:17 PM to 4:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:034:17
29.27:034:18
39.37:034:19
49.37:034:20
59.37:044:20
69.37:044:21
79.37:044:22
89.37:034:23
99.37:034:24
109.47:034:25
119.47:034:26
129.47:034:27
139.47:034:28
149.47:024:29
159.57:024:30
169.57:024:31
179.57:024:32
189.57:014:33
199.67:014:34
209.67:004:35
219.67:004:36
229.66:594:37
239.76:594:38
249.76:584:39
259.76:584:40
269.76:574:42
279.86:564:43
289.86:564:44
299.86:554:45
309.96:544:46
319.96:534:47

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.18 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.73 kWh/m² to a high of 5.22 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.18 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
42.0Dim
52.0Dim
62.0Dim
72.0Moderate
82.0Moderate
92.0Moderate
102.0Moderate
112.0Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Semboku?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Semboku.

What to pack for Semboku in January

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

In January, Semboku sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -8°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 18 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Semboku 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 Semboku peaks around August 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 18UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Semboku 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 Semboku is worst in April — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1420 µg/m³Dec 1610 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep11Good
Oct12Good
Nov11Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Semboku?

Semboku sits at 39.7°N, 140.7°E, 389 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Shizukuishi, 20 km away.

Topography around Semboku

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Semboku has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 836 m around an average of 444 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,556 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,976 m.

The land around Semboku is covered by trees (88%) within 3 km, trees (91%) within 16 km, and trees (80%) within 80 km.

3 km
836 m
16 km
1,556 m
80 km
1,976 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Shizukuishi 20 km · Morioka 35 km · Takizawa 35 km · Yahaba 36 km · Ōmagari 37 km · Rokugō 37 km · Daisen 37 km · Hachimantai 39 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 Semboku (39.7093°, 140.7465°, elevation 389 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. 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).