Sōja weather in January

In January, Sōja sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 42 mm of precipitation across 5.6 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sōja's 4th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sōja's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
42 mm
5.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:17 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
58%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.0
out of 10

Sōja is City in Okayama Prefecture, Japan.

Density
326/km²
people per km²
Founded
2005

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 9°C through the month.

A typical January day in Sōja reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 1°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 6°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1101
2101
3101
4101
591
691
791
891
991
1091
1191
1291
1391
1491
1591
1691
1791
1891
1990
2090
2190
2290
2390
2490
2590
2690
2790
2890
2990
3090
3190

How January really feels in Sōja

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.

Sōja 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 425.60.69.92.0
Feb10° / 506.6110.72.4
Mar14° / 969.90.211.74.0
Apr19° / 11510012.86.1
May24° / 14°13310.4013.86.7
Jun27° / 19°18312.6014.35.7
Jul31° / 23°19914.1014.14.1
Aug32° / 24°12311.1013.33.7
Sep28° / 20°18211.4012.25.6
Oct23° / 13°1158.1011.17.1
Nov17° / 596.5010.25.9
Dec11° / 495.50.29.73.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 28% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36436
46337
56337
66337
76238
86139
96040
105941
115842
125743
135644
145644
155545
165545
175347
185248
195248
205149
215050
225149
235050
245050
255050
265050
275050
285050
295050
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Sōja gets around 42 mm of rain and snow over 5.6 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 18% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1151
2151
3151
4151
5151
6151
7151
8151
9161
10161
11171
12172
13182
14182
15192
16192
17202
18202
19202
20213
21213
22213
23213
24213
25213
26213
27213
28204
29204
30204
31204

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 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 7:17 AM to 7:11 AM, and sunset from 5:00 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:175:00
29.77:175:00
39.77:175:01
49.77:175:02
59.87:175:02
69.87:185:03
79.87:185:04
89.87:185:05
99.87:185:06
109.87:185:06
119.87:185:07
129.87:175:08
139.97:175:09
149.97:175:10
159.97:175:11
169.97:175:12
179.97:175:13
1810.07:165:14
1910.07:165:14
2010.07:165:15
2110.07:155:16
2210.07:155:17
2310.17:155:18
2410.17:145:19
2510.17:145:20
2610.17:135:21
2710.27:135:22
2810.27:125:23
2910.27:125:24
3010.27:115:25
3110.37:115:26

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.36 kWh/m² to a high of 5.62 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.64 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Sōja

In seasonPeak

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

Sōja sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Sōja's rainy season runs March–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Pacific typhoon
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Sōja?

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

2.0
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 Sōja.

What to pack for Sōja in January

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

In January, Sōja sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 1°C. Pack a warm layer. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Sōja in January

The nearest coast averages about 14°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 35 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 13°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 3 to Nov 12 — about 5.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan14Bracing
Feb13Bracing
Mar13Bracing
Apr15Bracing
May18Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov20Cool
Dec16Cool

UV index in Sōja in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sōja peaks around July 15 at about 10 (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 — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 15UV 10Dec 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Sōja 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 Sōja is worst in April — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (December, 14 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 1324 µg/m³Dec 1414 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar23Moderate
Apr24Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec14Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sōja?

Sōja sits at 34.7°N, 133.8°E, 19 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Kurashiki, 10 km away.

Topography around Sōja

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sōja has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 292 m around an average of 27 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 588 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,692 m.

The land around Sōja is covered by artificial surfaces (40%), trees (25%) and cropland (24%) within 3 km, trees (59%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 16 km, and trees (65%) and water (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
292 m
16 km
588 m
80 km
1,692 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Kurashiki 10 km · Okayama 17 km · Takahashi 17 km · Asakuchi 21 km · Kamogatachō-kamogata 21 km · Tamano 25 km · Ibara 27 km · Akaiwa 29 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 Sōja (34.6753°, 133.7509°, elevation 19 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).