Shirakawa in Summer

In summer (June, July and August), Shirakawa sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 484 mm of rain over about 50 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 22°C in early June to 27°C by late August. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels muggy.

Summer is Shirakawa's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Shirakawa's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
26°C
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
19°C
Rainfall
484 mm
50 wet days
Avg wind
7 km/h
Travel score
5.2
best season of the year
Months
Jun · Jul · Aug

Temperature in Shirakawa in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 22°C in early June to 27°C by late August.

A typical summer day in Shirakawa reaches about 26°C and drops to 19°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is August, the coolest June.

10°15°20°25°30°35°JunJulAug

How summer really feels in Shirakawa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

summer 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 the three summer months (June, July and August) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%JunJulAug

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Shirakawa gets around 484 mm of rain over 50 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%80%JunJulAug

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%JunJulAug

Wind in Summer

Winds average 7 km/h across summer.

0246810JunJulAug

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 24 min in early June to 12 h 54 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJunJulAug

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 4.5 kWh/m².

0246JunJulAug
Planning a trip in summer

Hazard calendar for Shirakawa

In seasonPeak

In summer, Shirakawa overlaps 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 summer a good time to visit Shirakawa?

Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

5.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

summer is a reasonable time to visit Shirakawa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Shirakawa in Summer

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

In summer, Shirakawa sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 50 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Shirakawa in Summer

The nearest coast averages about 21°C across summer — 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 Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). 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 Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where summer 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
Summer 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.