Tōbetsu weather in January

In January, Tōbetsu sees average daytime highs of -2°C and overnight lows near -8°C, with 53 mm of precipitation across 13.8 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-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 7% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Tōbetsu's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tōbetsu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-2°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-8°
1st coldest
Precipitation
53 mm
13.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
7:09 AM – 4:17 PM
Cloud cover
71%
11th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.07 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Tōbetsu is town in Ishikari District, Hokkaido, Japan.

Density
39/km²
people per km²
Founded
1947

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 -2°C through the month.

A typical January day in Tōbetsu reaches about -2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -8°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -6°C and 1°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-1-7
2-1-7
3-1-7
4-2-7
5-2-7
6-2-7
7-2-7
8-2-7
9-2-8
10-2-8
11-2-8
12-2-8
13-2-8
14-2-8
15-2-8
16-2-8
17-2-8
18-2-8
19-2-8
20-2-8
21-2-8
22-2-8
23-2-8
24-2-8
25-2-8
26-2-8
27-2-8
28-2-8
29-2-8
30-2-8
31-2-8

How January really feels in Tōbetsu

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
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Tōbetsu weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -8°5313.819.79.20.0
Feb-1° / -8°4511.616.610.20.0
Mar / -4°5811.611.411.60.0
Apr10° / 6511.1313.22.2
May16° / 8511.40.114.44.7
Jun19° / 13°7510.1015.16.0
Jul23° / 17°12612.5014.96.3
Aug24° / 19°17113.7013.86.2
Sep21° / 14°13613.7012.35.8
Oct15° / 9413.50.210.84.2
Nov / 9317.18.39.51.0
Dec / -5°7616.519.78.90.0

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 22% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
32971
42872
52872
62872
72872
82872
92971
102971
112971
123070
133070
143070
153169
163169
173169
183169
193169
203169
213070
223070
232971
242872
252872
262773
272773
282773
292773
302773
312674

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Tōbetsu gets around 53 mm of rain and snow over 13.8 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 44% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days, and about 20 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14966
24866
34866
44866
54766
64766
74666
84666
94665
104665
114565
124565
134565
144565
154464
164464
174464
184363
194363
204363
214363
224362
234362
244362
254362
264262
274261
284261
294161
304161
314161

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 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:12 AM to 6:59 AM, and sunset from 4:03 PM to 4:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:124:03
28.97:124:03
38.97:124:04
48.97:124:05
58.97:124:06
68.97:124:07
78.97:124:08
89.07:114:09
99.07:114:10
109.07:114:11
119.07:114:12
129.07:114:13
139.17:104:14
149.17:104:15
159.17:104:16
169.17:094:17
179.27:094:18
189.27:084:20
199.27:084:21
209.27:074:22
219.37:074:23
229.37:064:24
239.37:054:26
249.47:054:27
259.47:044:28
269.47:034:29
279.57:024:31
289.57:014:32
299.57:014:33
309.67:004:34
319.66:594:36

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.07 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.58 kWh/m² to a high of 5.43 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.07 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
132.0Dim
142.0Dim
152.0Moderate
162.0Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Tōbetsu

In seasonPeak

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

Tōbetsu 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 Tōbetsu?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tōbetsu.

What to pack for Tōbetsu in January

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

In January, Tōbetsu sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -8°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Tōbetsu in January

The nearest coast averages about 7°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 21 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 5°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 31 to Sep 22 — about 1.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb5Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul19Cool
Aug22Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct17Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Tōbetsu in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tōbetsu peaks around August 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 18UV 8Dec 19UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul5Moderate
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Tōbetsu 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 Tōbetsu is worst in April — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodApr 1220 µg/m³Dec 159 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb15Moderate
Mar20Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep11Good
Oct12Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Tōbetsu?

Tōbetsu sits at 43.2°N, 141.5°E, 14 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Ebetsu, 12 km away.

Topography around Tōbetsu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tōbetsu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 76 m around an average of 15 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 414 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,859 m.

The land around Tōbetsu is covered by cropland (72%) within 3 km, cropland (48%) and trees (28%) within 16 km, and trees (60%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
76 m
16 km
414 m
80 km
1,859 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Ebetsu 12 km · Ishikari 13 km · Iwamizawa 20 km · Sapporo 22 km · Kitahiroshima 27 km · Bibai 30 km · Eniwa 36 km · Otaru 42 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 Tōbetsu (43.2169°, 141.5169°, elevation 14 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).