Shiozawa weather in January

In January, Shiozawa sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 229 mm of precipitation across 25.4 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Shiozawa's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shiozawa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
1st coldest
Precipitation
229 mm
25.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:02 AM – 4:45 PM
Cloud cover
77%
10th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Shiozawa is dissolved municipality in Minamiuonuma district, Niigata prefecture, Japan.

Density
106/km²
people per km²
Founded
1900

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 1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Shiozawa reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -6°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -3°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-5
21-5
31-6
41-6
51-6
61-6
71-6
81-6
91-6
101-6
111-6
121-6
131-6
141-6
151-6
161-6
171-6
181-6
190-6
200-6
210-6
220-6
230-6
240-6
250-6
261-6
271-6
281-6
291-6
301-6
311-6

How January really feels in Shiozawa

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Shiozawa weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -6°22925.425.39.70.0
Feb / -5°17721.320.310.60.0
Mar / -3°17621.217.311.70.3
Apr12° / 13916.6512.92.7
May19° / 16115.90.3145.1
Jun22° / 14°20118.4014.55.0
Jul26° / 18°29222.5014.34.7
Aug27° / 19°21720.2013.45.0
Sep23° / 15°21618.2012.35.2
Oct17° / 20117.50.3114.3
Nov10° / 16818.76.4101.9
Dec / -4°21023.319.49.50.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32179
42179
52179
62179
72080
81981
91981
101981
111981
121882
131882
141882
151684
161684
171684
181684
191783
201783
211684
221684
231684
241684
251684
261585
271783
281783
291783
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Shiozawa gets around 229 mm of rain and snow over 25.4 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 82% and peaks near 83% on the wettest days, and about 25 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
18177
28178
38279
48280
58281
68281
78281
88281
98281
108281
118281
128181
138181
148181
158181
168181
178181
188181
198181
208181
218181
228181
238281
248282
258282
268282
278382
288382
298282
308281
318281

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 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:03 AM to 6:55 AM, and sunset from 4:33 PM to 5:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:034:33
29.57:034:33
39.57:034:34
49.57:034:35
59.57:034:36
69.67:034:37
79.67:034:37
89.67:034:38
99.67:034:39
109.67:034:40
119.67:034:41
129.67:034:42
139.77:034:43
149.77:034:44
159.77:034:44
169.77:024:45
179.77:024:46
189.87:024:47
199.87:014:48
209.87:014:49
219.87:014:50
229.97:004:51
239.97:004:52
249.96:594:53
259.96:594:54
2610.06:584:56
2710.06:584:57
2810.06:574:58
2910.06:564:59
3010.16:565:00
3110.16:555:01

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.08 kWh/m² to a high of 5.62 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Shiozawa

In seasonPeak

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

Shiozawa 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 Shiozawa?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Shiozawa.

What to pack for Shiozawa in January

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

In January, Shiozawa sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 25 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Shiozawa in January

The nearest coast averages about 12°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 42 km away) is warmest in August at about 27°C and coldest in March near 10°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 21 to Oct 31 — about 4.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan12Bracing
Feb11Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr11Bracing
May15Bracing
Jun20Cool
Jul23Refreshing
Aug27Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct22Refreshing
Nov18Cool
Dec15Cool

UV index in Shiozawa in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Shiozawa peaks around August 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateAug 12UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Shiozawa 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 Shiozawa is worst in April — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1821 µg/m³Dec 1610 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct12Good
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shiozawa?

Shiozawa sits at 37.0°N, 138.8°E, 180 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Muikamachi, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Shiozawa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shiozawa has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 364 m around an average of 231 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,859 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,551 m.

The land around Shiozawa is covered by cropland (52%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, trees (77%) within 16 km, and trees (75%) within 80 km.

3 km
364 m
16 km
1,859 m
80 km
2,551 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Muikamachi 4.0 km · Minamiuonuma 5.0 km · Tōkamachi 13 km · Uonuma 25 km · Ojiya 29 km · Minakami 41 km · Kashiwazaki 45 km · Nagaoka 46 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 Shiozawa (37.0376°, 138.8487°, elevation 180 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).