Shimabara in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Shimabara sees average daytime highs around 12°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 239 mm of precipitation over about 24 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 12°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Shimabara's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Shimabara's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 12°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 6°C
- Precipitation
- 239 mm
- 24 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.3
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Shimabara in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 12°C.
A typical winter day in Shimabara reaches about 12°C and drops to 6°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Shimabara
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Shimabara weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11° / 5° | 70 | 7.7 | 10.1 | 2.7 |
| Feb | 12° / 5° | 88 | 9 | 10.8 | 3.2 |
| Mar | 15° / 8° | 134 | 11.6 | 11.8 | 4.6 |
| Apr | 20° / 12° | 151 | 10.9 | 12.8 | 6.1 |
| May | 24° / 16° | 182 | 11.1 | 13.7 | 6.6 |
| Jun | 27° / 21° | 429 | 17 | 14.1 | 5.2 |
| Jul | 30° / 24° | 348 | 18.5 | 13.9 | 3.7 |
| Aug | 32° / 25° | 179 | 14.5 | 13.2 | 3.5 |
| Sep | 29° / 22° | 203 | 12.4 | 12.2 | 5.3 |
| Oct | 24° / 17° | 112 | 7.9 | 11.2 | 7.3 |
| Nov | 18° / 12° | 102 | 8.4 | 10.3 | 6.2 |
| Dec | 13° / 7° | 81 | 7.6 | 9.9 | 3.9 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Shimabara gets around 239 mm of rain and snow over 24 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 10 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 hours in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Shimabara
In winter, Shimabara overlaps its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Shimabara sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Shimabara's rainy season runs June–July, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Shimabara?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Shimabara.
What to pack for Shimabara in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Shimabara sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 24 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Shimabara in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 15°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 27°C and coldest in February near 14°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 27 to Nov 14 — about 5.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 15 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 20 | 17 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Bracing |
| Feb | 14 | Bracing |
| Mar | 14 | Bracing |
| Apr | 16 | Cool |
| May | 19 | Cool |
| Jun | 22 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 25 | Warm |
| Aug | 27 | Warm |
| Sep | 26 | Warm |
| Oct | 23 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 20 | Cool |
| Dec | 17 | Cool |
UV index in Shimabara in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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 Shimabara peaks around July 13 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Shimabara in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Shimabara is worst in March — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (July, 13 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 18 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 19 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | Moderate |
| Feb | 20 | Moderate |
| Mar | 25 | Moderate |
| Apr | 25 | Moderate |
| May | 23 | Moderate |
| Jun | 19 | Moderate |
| Jul | 13 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 14 | Moderate |
| Oct | 14 | Moderate |
| Nov | 16 | Moderate |
| Dec | 15 | Moderate |
Where is Shimabara?
Shimabara sits at 32.8°N, 130.4°E, 11 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Unzen, 11 km away.
Topography around Shimabara
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Shimabara.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Shimabara has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 806 m around an average of 69 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,450 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,724 m.
The land around Shimabara is covered by water (39%), trees (27%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 3 km, water (61%) and trees (26%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) and water (32%) within 80 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
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 Shimabara (32.7833°, 130.3667°, elevation 11 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.