Shimoda weather in January

In January, Shimoda sees average daytime highs of 11°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 76 mm of precipitation across 6.4 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 11°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Shimoda's 4th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shimoda's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
76 mm
6.4 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
7:16 AM – 5:19 PM
Cloud cover
49%
4th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 11°C through the month.

A typical January day in Shimoda reaches about 11°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1127
2117
3117
4117
5117
6116
7116
8116
9116
10116
11116
12116
13116
14116
15116
16116
17116
18116
19116
20106
21106
22106
23106
24106
25106
26106
27106
28106
29106
30106
31106

How January really feels in Shimoda

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.

Shimoda 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
Jan11° / 766.410.12.9
Feb12° / 968.210.83.2
Mar15° / 15711.411.74.3
Apr18° / 13°18410.912.85.8
May22° / 17°21311.813.76.3
Jun25° / 21°35116.514.15.5
Jul28° / 24°26215.4145.2
Aug29° / 25°21916.113.24.8
Sep27° / 23°27815.912.25.6
Oct23° / 18°21811.211.26.8
Nov18° / 13°1288.910.36.1
Dec13° / 906.79.94.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 37%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
37030
47030
56931
66931
76733
86733
96634
106535
116436
126337
136238
146139
156139
165941
175941
185941
195842
205842
215842
225842
235842
245842
255941
265941
275941
286139
296139
306139
316238

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Shimoda gets around 76 mm of rain and snow over 6.4 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 22% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
218
318
418
518
618
718
819
919
1019
1120
1221
1321
1422
1522
1623
1723
1824
1924
2024
2124
2224
2324
2424
2524
2624
2724
2824
2923
3023
3123

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

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 9 h 54 min 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 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:15 AM to 7:10 AM, and sunset from 5:07 PM to 5:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.97:155:07
29.97:165:08
39.97:165:08
49.97:165:09
59.97:165:10
69.97:165:11
79.97:165:11
89.97:165:12
99.97:165:13
1010.07:165:14
1110.07:165:15
1210.07:165:15
1310.07:165:16
1410.07:165:17
1510.07:165:18
1610.07:165:19
1710.17:165:20
1810.17:155:21
1910.17:155:21
2010.17:155:22
2110.17:155:23
2210.27:145:24
2310.27:145:25
2410.27:145:26
2510.27:135:27
2610.27:135:28
2710.37:125:29
2810.37:125:30
2910.37:115:31
3010.37:115:32
3110.47:105:32

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.82 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.56 kWh/m² to a high of 5.46 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.82 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.7Moderate
22.7Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.7Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Shimoda

In seasonPeak

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

Shimoda 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 Shimoda?

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

2.9
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 Shimoda.

What to pack for Shimoda in January

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

In January, Shimoda sees daytime highs around 11°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Shimoda in January

The nearest coast averages about 19°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 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 27 to Dec 25 — about 8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr19Cool
May21Refreshing
Jun24Refreshing
Jul26Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov23Refreshing
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Shimoda 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 Shimoda peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 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 highModerateJun 23UV 11Dec 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Shimoda 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 Shimoda is worst in April — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodApr 1420 µg/m³Oct 1410 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul11Good
Aug11Good
Sep10Good
Oct10Good
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shimoda?

Shimoda sits at 32.9°N, 133.0°E, 10 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Nakamura, 6.0 km away.

Topography around Shimoda

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shimoda has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 176 m around an average of 27 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 866 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,527 m.

The land around Shimoda is covered by trees (44%) and water (40%) within 3 km, trees (51%) and water (43%) within 16 km, and water (58%) and trees (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
176 m
16 km
866 m
80 km
1,527 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Nakamura 6.0 km · Sukumo 24 km · Mishōhirajō 39 km · Uwajima 50 km · Susaki 57 km · Uwa 64 km · Ōzu 74 km · Uchiko 74 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 Shimoda (32.9458°, 132.9863°, elevation 10 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).