Shibetsu weather in January

In January, Shibetsu sees average daytime highs of -3°C and overnight lows near -9°C, with 59 mm of precipitation across 8.7 wet days and about 9.1 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -2°C in the first days to -3°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 48 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Shibetsu's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shibetsu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-3°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-9°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
59 mm
8.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
6:56 AM – 4:01 PM
Cloud cover
63%
6th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about -2°C in the first days to -3°C by the end.

A typical January day in Shibetsu reaches about -3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -9°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 1°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-1-7
2-2-7
3-2-7
4-2-7
5-2-7
6-2-8
7-2-8
8-2-8
9-2-8
10-2-8
11-3-8
12-3-8
13-3-9
14-3-9
15-3-9
16-3-9
17-3-9
18-3-9
19-3-9
20-3-9
21-3-9
22-3-9
23-3-9
24-3-9
25-3-10
26-3-10
27-3-10
28-3-10
29-3-10
30-3-10
31-3-10

How January really feels in Shibetsu

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.

Shibetsu weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-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° / -9°598.710.79.10.0
Feb-3° / -10°486.97.710.20.0
Mar / -6°769.8911.60.0
Apr / -0°8611.2513.20.7
May11° / 9611.20.614.52.8
Jun15° / 8310.1015.24.3
Jul18° / 13°11511.1014.95.5
Aug21° / 16°15012.4013.85.7
Sep19° / 13°16612.5012.35.5
Oct14° / 12711.10.110.83.9
Nov / 8711.22.99.51.0
Dec / -5°789.79.68.80.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24852
34852
44753
54753
64753
74654
84654
94753
104555
114555
124555
134555
144456
154456
164456
174456
184456
194357
204357
214258
224357
234357
244258
254258
264258
274258
284357
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Shibetsu gets around 59 mm of rain and snow over 8.7 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 28% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12936
22935
32835
42835
52734
62734
72733
82633
92633
102633
112633
122633
132733
142734
152834
162835
172935
182935
192936
203036
213036
223036
233036
243036
253036
263036
272935
282934
292833
302833
312732

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 17 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 48 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:59 AM to 6:45 AM, and sunset from 3:47 PM to 4:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.86:593:47
28.86:593:47
38.86:593:48
48.86:593:49
58.96:593:50
68.96:593:51
78.96:593:52
88.96:593:53
98.96:583:54
108.96:583:55
119.06:583:56
129.06:583:57
139.06:573:58
149.06:573:59
159.16:574:00
169.16:564:01
179.16:564:03
189.16:554:04
199.26:554:05
209.26:544:06
219.26:534:07
229.36:534:09
239.36:524:10
249.36:514:11
259.46:514:12
269.46:504:14
279.46:494:15
289.56:484:16
299.56:474:17
309.56:464:19
319.66:454:20

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.64 kWh/m² to a high of 5.21 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 1.98 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
172.0Dim
182.0Dim
192.0Moderate
202.0Moderate
212.0Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Shibetsu

In seasonPeak

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

Shibetsu 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 January a good time to visit Shibetsu?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Shibetsu.

What to pack for Shibetsu in January

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

In January, Shibetsu sees daytime highs around -3°C and nights near -9°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Shibetsu in January

The nearest coast averages about 2°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in September at about 17°C and coldest in February near -0°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
Jan2Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr2Bracing
May5Bracing
Jun9Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Shibetsu in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Shibetsu peaks around August 17 at about 9 (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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowAug 17UV 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Shibetsu?

Shibetsu sits at 43.7°N, 145.1°E, 2 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Nakashibetsu, 18 km away.

EngaruMombetsu

Topography around Shibetsu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shibetsu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 35 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 482 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,608 m.

The land around Shibetsu is covered by water (43%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, water (45%) and trees (27%) within 16 km, and water (55%) and trees (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
35 m
16 km
482 m
80 km
1,608 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Nakashibetsu 18 km · Nemuro 52 km · Abashiri 80 km · Motomachi 85 km · Kushiro 98 km · Kitami 101 km · Engaru 134 km · Mombetsu 162 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 Shibetsu (43.659°, 145.132°, elevation 2 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).