Shirakawa weather in October

In October, Shirakawa sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 159 mm of rain across 12.1 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Shirakawa's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shirakawa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
6th warmest
Overnight low
11°
7th coldest
Rainfall
159 mm
12.1 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
5:53 AM – 4:55 PM
Cloud cover
63%
7th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical October day in Shirakawa reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 6°C cooler than September and about 6°C warmer than November.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12114
22114
32114
42113
52013
62013
72013
82013
92012
101912
111912
121912
131911
141911
151911
161811
171811
181810
191810
201810
211710
22179
23179
24179
25179
26179
27168
28168
29168
30168
31168

How October really feels in Shirakawa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October 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

October sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Shirakawa weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -2°537.46.19.70.0
Feb / -2°517.44.910.60.3
Mar / 9811.94.711.71.9
Apr15° / 112121.112.94.4
May20° / 11°128130145.8
Jun23° / 16°14315.5014.55.6
Jul27° / 20°19518.8014.34.9
Aug28° / 21°14616.1013.45.0
Sep24° / 17°17815012.35.7
Oct18° / 11°15912.10115.5
Nov13° / 788.10.3103.7
Dec / 517.43.49.51.1

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33565
43664
53664
63763
73763
83862
93862
103961
113862
123961
134060
144060
154159
164258
174357
184357
194456
204555
214654
224852
234951
245050
255149
265248
275347
285446
295545
305644
315644

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Shirakawa gets around 159 mm of rain over 12.1 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 38% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
245
345
444
544
644
743
843
943
1042
1141
1241
1340
1439
1538
1637
1737
1836
1936
2035
2135
2235
2334
2434
2534
2633
2732
2832
2931
3031
3130

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of October feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 75% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14236174
24436164
34536153
44736143
54935132
65234122
75333122
85532112
95830102
10622891
11652681
12682471
13712171
14741961
15761761
16791551
17821341
18841240
19871030
2088930
2190820
2291720
2393610
2494510
2594510
2695410
2795410
2895410
2997300
3097300
3197300

Wind in October

Winds average 8 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:39 AM to 6:08 AM, and sunset from 5:17 PM to 4:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.65:395:17
211.65:405:15
311.55:415:14
411.55:425:12
511.55:435:11
611.45:445:09
711.45:455:08
811.35:465:06
911.35:465:05
1011.35:475:03
1111.25:485:02
1211.25:495:00
1311.15:504:59
1411.15:514:58
1511.15:524:56
1611.05:534:55
1711.05:544:54
1811.05:554:52
1910.95:564:51
2010.95:574:50
2110.85:584:48
2210.85:594:47
2310.86:004:46
2410.76:014:45
2510.76:024:43
2610.76:034:42
2710.66:044:41
2810.66:054:40
2910.56:064:39
3010.56:074:38
3110.56:084:37

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.28 kWh/m² to a high of 5.24 kWh/m² in May across the year — October's 2.94 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.2Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
163.0Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Shirakawa

In seasonPeak

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

Shirakawa 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 October a good time to visit Shirakawa?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
2.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Shirakawa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Shirakawa in October

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

In October, Shirakawa sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Shirakawa in October

The nearest coast averages about 20°C in October — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 61 km away) is warmest in August at about 24°C and coldest in March near 12°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 1 to Oct 22 — about 3.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan14Bracing
Feb12Bracing
Mar12Bracing
Apr14Bracing
May16Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug24Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct20Refreshing
Nov18Cool
Dec16Cool

UV index in Shirakawa in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Shirakawa peaks around July 17 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 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJul 17UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Shirakawa in October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where October falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Shirakawa is worst in April — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1821 µg/m³Dec 189 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shirakawa?

Shirakawa sits at 37.1°N, 140.3°E, 323 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Kumakura, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Shirakawa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shirakawa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 172 m around an average of 353 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 561 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,457 m.

The land around Shirakawa is covered by trees (48%) and cropland (35%) within 3 km, trees (66%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and trees (74%) within 80 km.

3 km
172 m
16 km
561 m
80 km
2,457 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Kumakura 9.0 km · Yabuki 10 km · Ishikawa 17 km · Nasu 17 km · Sukagawa 21 km · Nasushiobara 24 km · Kuroiso 25 km · Kōriyama 33 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 Shirakawa (37.1195°, 140.2621°, elevation 323 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).