Sendai weather in January

In January, Sendai sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 98 mm of precipitation across 12.3 wet days and about 10.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 12°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 hours at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sendai's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sendai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
98 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 06 min
7:24 AM – 5:32 PM
Cloud cover
65%
9th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Sendai is city in Kagoshima prefecture, Japan.

Density
135/km²
people per km²
Founded
2004

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 12°C through the month.

A typical January day in Sendai reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 8°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1129
2129
3129
4129
5129
6129
7129
8128
9128
10128
11128
12128
13128
14128
15128
16128
17118
18118
19118
20118
21118
22118
23118
24118
25118
26118
27118
28118
29118
30118
31118

How January really feels in Sendai

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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

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

Sendai weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan12° / 9812.310.22.8
Feb12° / 11311.210.83.1
Mar15° / 11°16113.411.84.2
Apr18° / 14°18611.712.85.6
May22° / 18°20511.313.66.3
Jun25° / 22°50018.5145.2
Jul29° / 25°32417.613.94.7
Aug30° / 26°16615.713.24.5
Sep28° / 24°19813.112.25.7
Oct24° / 20°1098.711.27.2
Nov19° / 15°1229.310.46.1
Dec14° / 10°10310.6104.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34159
44159
54060
64060
74060
83862
93862
103763
113763
123763
133664
143763
153664
163664
173664
183664
193664
203763
213763
223763
233763
243763
253763
263763
273763
283862
293862
303862
313862

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Sendai gets around 98 mm of rain and snow over 12.3 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 39% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
234
334
435
535
636
736
837
937
1038
1138
1239
1340
1440
1541
1642
1742
1842
1943
2043
2143
2243
2343
2442
2542
2642
2741
2841
2940
3040
3139

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14982
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in January

Winds average 18 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 hours at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:23 AM to 7:19 AM, and sunset from 5:21 PM to 5:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.07:235:21
210.07:245:21
310.07:245:22
410.07:245:23
510.07:245:23
610.07:245:24
710.07:245:25
810.07:245:26
910.07:245:26
1010.07:245:27
1110.17:245:28
1210.17:245:29
1310.17:245:30
1410.17:245:30
1510.17:245:31
1610.17:245:32
1710.27:245:33
1810.27:245:34
1910.27:245:35
2010.27:235:36
2110.27:235:36
2210.27:235:37
2310.37:225:38
2410.37:225:39
2510.37:225:40
2610.37:215:41
2710.37:215:42
2810.47:205:43
2910.47:205:44
3010.47:195:44
3110.47:195:45

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.49 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.33 kWh/m² to a high of 5.13 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.49 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Sendai

In seasonPeak

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

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

Sendai's rainy season runs June–July, 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 January a good time to visit Sendai?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sendai.

What to pack for Sendai in January

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

In January, Sendai sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 8°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Sendai in January

The nearest coast averages about 18°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 9 to Dec 11 — about 7.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr18Cool
May21Refreshing
Jun23Refreshing
Jul26Warm
Aug28Tropical
Sep27Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov22Refreshing
Dec20Cool

UV index in Sendai in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sendai peaks around July 10 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 10UV 10Dec 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar7High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Sendai 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 Sendai is worst in April — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 12 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 1423 µg/m³Oct 1012 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sendai?

Sendai sits at 31.8°N, 130.3°E, 5 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Ichikikushikino, 10 km away.

Topography around Sendai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sendai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 179 m around an average of 32 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 686 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,644 m.

The land around Sendai is covered by trees (41%) and artificial surfaces (41%) within 3 km, trees (69%) and water (21%) within 16 km, and water (52%) and trees (41%) within 80 km.

3 km
179 m
16 km
686 m
80 km
1,644 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Ichikikushikino 10 km · Kushikino 12 km · Umeki 18 km · Tsuruda 23 km · Akune 24 km · Ijūin 24 km · Aira 28 km · Izumi 30 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 Sendai (31.8167°, 130.3°, 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).