Sendai weather in December

In December, Sendai sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near -0°C, with 58 mm of precipitation across 11 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 5°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Sendai's 2nd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sendai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-0°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
58 mm
11 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
6:52 AM – 4:13 PM
Cloud cover
59%
2nd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Sendai is city in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7 µg/m³ · 2010
Density
1,395/km²
people per km²
Founded
1889

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 8°C in the first days to 5°C by the end.

A typical December day in Sendai reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to -0°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
192
292
381
481
581
681
781
871
971
1070
1170
1270
1370
1460
1560
1660
1760
186-1
196-1
206-1
216-1
225-1
235-1
245-1
255-1
265-1
275-1
285-1
295-1
305-2
314-2

How December really feels in Sendai

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Sendai weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°6310.99.99.60.0
Feb / -3°499.27.710.50.0
Mar / -0°8711.65.411.71.4
Apr14° / 9411.21.1134.0
May19° / 11°10311.40145.8
Jun22° / 16°12913.4014.65.8
Jul26° / 20°18717.4014.45.3
Aug27° / 21°16916.2013.55.4
Sep24° / 17°16714.3012.35.8
Oct18° / 11°141110115.6
Nov12° / 639.30.99.93.3
Dec / -0°581169.40.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
34951
44951
54852
64852
74852
84852
94852
104852
114852
124852
134951
144951
154951
165050
175149
185248
195248
205347
215545
225545
235644
245644
255743
265743
275743
285743
295743
305743
315545

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Sendai gets around 58 mm of rain and snow over 11 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 35% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1328
2339
3339
43410
53511
63512
73614
83715
93716
103817
113818
123819
133720
143720
153721
163721
173622
183622
193623
203523
213523
223523
233423
243424
253424
263324
273325
283426
293427
303427
313528

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 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 12 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
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:40 AM to 6:59 AM, and sunset from 4:12 PM to 4:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.56:404:12
29.56:414:12
39.56:424:12
49.56:434:12
59.56:444:12
69.46:454:12
79.46:464:12
89.46:464:12
99.46:474:12
109.46:484:12
119.46:494:12
129.46:494:12
139.46:504:12
149.46:514:13
159.46:524:13
169.46:524:13
179.36:534:14
189.36:534:14
199.36:544:14
209.36:554:15
219.36:554:15
229.36:554:16
239.36:564:16
249.36:564:17
259.36:574:17
269.36:574:18
279.36:574:18
289.46:584:19
299.46:584:19
309.46:584:20
319.46:594:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.06 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.06 kWh/m² to a high of 5.34 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 2.06 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.0Moderate
52.0Moderate
62.0Moderate
72.0Moderate
82.0Moderate
92.0Moderate
102.0Moderate
112.0Moderate
122.0Moderate
132.0Moderate
142.0Moderate
152.0Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Sendai

In seasonPeak

In December, 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 March–October, 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 Sendai?

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

0.6
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sendai.

What to pack for Sendai in December

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

In December, Sendai sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near -0°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Sendai in December

The nearest coast averages about 14°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 28 km away) is warmest in August at about 24°C and coldest in March near 9°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 7 to Oct 10 — about 3.2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

5°10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan11Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May14Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug24Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec14Bracing

UV index in Sendai in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sendai peaks around August 16 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 highModerateAug 16UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sendai?

Sendai sits at 38.3°N, 140.9°E, 53 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Natori-shi, 11 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 173 m around an average of 67 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 513 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,978 m.

The land around Sendai is covered by artificial surfaces (74%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, trees (44%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 16 km, and trees (57%) and water (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
173 m
16 km
513 m
80 km
1,978 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Natori-shi 11 km · Rifu 12 km · Tagajō-shi 12 km · Tomiya 14 km · Shiogama 16 km · Shōbudahama 17 km · Iwanuma 18 km · Yoshioka 19 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 (38.2667°, 140.8667°, elevation 53 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).