Shonai weather in January

In January, Shonai sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -2°C, with 190 mm of precipitation across 26.2 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 2°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Shonai's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shonai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-2°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
190 mm
26.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:03 AM – 4:36 PM
Cloud cover
79%
12th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 2°C through the month.

A typical January day in Shonai reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -2°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -1°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13-1
23-1
33-1
43-1
53-1
63-1
72-1
82-2
92-2
102-2
112-2
122-2
132-2
142-2
152-2
162-2
172-2
182-2
192-2
202-2
212-2
222-2
232-2
242-2
252-2
262-2
272-2
282-2
292-2
302-2
312-2

How January really feels in Shonai

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.

Shonai weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -2°19026.224.99.60.0
Feb / -2°13521.719.710.50.0
Mar / 14320.313.711.70.5
Apr13° / 11815.12.8133.1
May19° / 11°12513.6014.15.5
Jun23° / 16°14413.5014.75.9
Jul26° / 20°24718.2014.45.3
Aug27° / 21°20017.3013.55.3
Sep24° / 17°17015.8012.35.6
Oct18° / 11°17516.50114.8
Nov11° / 17319.54.59.92.2
Dec / 20625.118.19.30.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 86%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11585
21585
31486
41387
51387
61387
71387
81387
91486
101486
111486
121486
131486
141486
151486
161486
171387
181387
191387
201387
211387
221387
231387
241387
251387
261387
271387
281387
291387
301387
311387

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Shonai gets around 190 mm of rain and snow over 26.2 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 84% and peaks near 85% on the wettest days, and about 25 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
18474
28475
38476
48577
58578
68578
78579
88579
98579
108480
118480
128480
138480
148480
158480
168480
178480
188480
198480
208481
218481
228481
238481
248481
258481
268582
278582
288582
298481
308481
318481

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 12 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:04 AM to 6:55 AM, and sunset from 4:23 PM to 4:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.37:044:23
29.37:044:24
39.37:044:25
49.47:044:26
59.47:044:26
69.47:044:27
79.47:044:28
89.47:044:29
99.47:044:30
109.47:044:31
119.57:044:32
129.57:044:33
139.57:044:33
149.57:034:34
159.57:034:35
169.67:034:36
179.67:034:37
189.67:024:38
199.67:024:40
209.77:014:41
219.77:014:42
229.77:004:43
239.77:004:44
249.86:594:45
259.86:594:46
269.86:584:47
279.86:584:48
289.96:574:49
299.96:564:50
309.96:564:52
3110.06:554:53

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.03 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.62 kWh/m² to a high of 5.36 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.03 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
142.0Dim
152.0Dim
162.0Moderate
172.0Moderate
182.0Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Shonai

In seasonPeak

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

Shonai 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 Shonai?

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 Shonai.

What to pack for Shonai in January

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

In January, Shonai sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -2°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 26 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Shonai 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 24 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in March near 9°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 25 to Oct 26 — about 4.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan12Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May14Bracing
Jun19Cool
Jul23Refreshing
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct21Refreshing
Nov18Cool
Dec15Bracing

UV index in Shonai 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 Shonai peaks around August 17 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 17UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Shonai 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 Shonai is worst in April — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1721 µg/m³Dec 159 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep10Good
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shonai?

Shonai sits at 38.8°N, 139.9°E, 7 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Sakata, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Shonai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shonai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 14 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 776 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,205 m.

The land around Shonai is covered by cropland (77%) within 3 km, cropland (37%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and trees (55%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
14 m
16 km
776 m
80 km
2,205 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Sakata 9.0 km · Tsuruoka 16 km · Shinjō 36 km · Nikaho 47 km · Obanazawa 51 km · Yachi 59 km · Murayama 61 km · Yurihonjō 62 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 Shonai (38.8485°, 139.9031°, elevation 7 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).