Climate and average weather in Tsuruoka
In Tsuruoka, the summers are muggy, warm, wet, and partly cloudy and the winters are cold, breezy, snowy, and mostly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Tsuruoka typically varies from 0°C to 26°C, and is rarely below -3°C or above 30°C. August is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Tsuruoka for warm-weather activities is from mid May to mid October.
- Hottest
- Aug
- 26°
- Coldest
- Jan
- 0°
- Wettest
- Dec
- 311 mm
- Driest
- Apr
- 132 mm
- Rain / yr
- 2452 mm
- 225 wet days
- Daylight
- 9.3–14.7 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 13 m
- 38.7°N
- Clearest
- Apr
- 61% cloud
Tsuruoka is city in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.
- Density
- 96/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1889
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Tsuruoka weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid May to mid October.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Tsuruoka, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 3.5 months, from June 14 to September 28, with daily high temperatures above 21°C. The hottest month of the year in Tsuruoka is August, with an average high of 26°C and low of 22°C.
The cool season lasts 3.6 months, from December 6 to March 25, with daily high temperatures below 8°C. The coldest month of the year in Tsuruoka is January, with an average low of 0°C and high of 3°C.
Days typically run about 4°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 6 |
| Avg low (°C) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 13 | 7 | 3 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | 0 |
| Feb | 3 | 0 |
| Mar | 6 | 2 |
| Apr | 12 | 6 |
| May | 17 | 12 |
| Jun | 21 | 17 |
| Jul | 25 | 21 |
| Aug | 26 | 22 |
| Sep | 23 | 19 |
| Oct | 18 | 13 |
| Nov | 12 | 7 |
| Dec | 6 | 3 |
How hot and cold Tsuruoka really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -6°C (around January 26), with roughly 117 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 6 |
| Air high (°C) | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 6 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -5 | -5 | -2 | 3 | 11 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 13 | 4 | -2 |
| Air low (°C) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 13 | 7 | 3 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | 3 | -5 | 0 |
| Feb | 3 | 3 | -5 | 0 |
| Mar | 6 | 6 | -2 | 2 |
| Apr | 12 | 12 | 3 | 6 |
| May | 17 | 17 | 11 | 12 |
| Jun | 21 | 21 | 16 | 17 |
| Jul | 25 | 25 | 21 | 21 |
| Aug | 26 | 26 | 22 | 22 |
| Sep | 23 | 23 | 19 | 19 |
| Oct | 18 | 18 | 13 | 13 |
| Nov | 12 | 12 | 4 | 7 |
| Dec | 6 | 6 | -2 | 3 |
Average hourly temperature in Tsuruoka
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on August afternoons, near 26°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near 0°C.
Tsuruoka weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3° / 0° | 285 | 27.7 | 22.8 | 9.6 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 3° / 0° | 190 | 22.9 | 18.8 | 10.5 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 6° / 2° | 169 | 20.6 | 11.5 | 11.7 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 12° / 6° | 132 | 15.4 | 1.5 | 13 | 2.7 |
| May | 17° / 12° | 134 | 13.7 | 0 | 14.1 | 5.0 |
| Jun | 21° / 17° | 148 | 12.8 | 0 | 14.7 | 5.8 |
| Jul | 25° / 21° | 259 | 17.2 | 0 | 14.4 | 5.6 |
| Aug | 26° / 22° | 203 | 15.7 | 0 | 13.5 | 5.7 |
| Sep | 23° / 19° | 180 | 15.5 | 0 | 12.3 | 5.7 |
| Oct | 18° / 13° | 203 | 16.7 | 0 | 11 | 4.8 |
| Nov | 12° / 7° | 238 | 20.9 | 2.6 | 9.9 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 6° / 3° | 311 | 26.3 | 15 | 9.3 | 0.3 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Tsuruoka gets about 2452 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 4.8 months, from around Nov 2 to Mar 26, peaking in January at about 90% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jun 2.
December is the wettest month by volume, with 311 mm over about 26 wet days; April is the driest, with 132 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 89 | 82 | 66 | 52 | 44 | 44 | 54 | 51 | 53 | 53 | 70 | 85 |
| Rain days | 28 | 23 | 21 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 21 | 26 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 89 | 28 |
| Feb | 82 | 23 |
| Mar | 66 | 21 |
| Apr | 52 | 15 |
| May | 44 | 14 |
| Jun | 44 | 13 |
| Jul | 54 | 17 |
| Aug | 51 | 16 |
| Sep | 53 | 16 |
| Oct | 53 | 17 |
| Nov | 70 | 21 |
| Dec | 85 | 26 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Tsuruoka collects about 2452 mm of rain across 225 wet days — roughly 204 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 311 mm, while April is the driest at just 132 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 35% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 285 | 190 | 169 | 132 | 134 | 148 | 259 | 203 | 180 | 203 | 238 | 311 |
| Rain days | 28 | 23 | 21 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 21 | 26 |
| Snow days | 23 | 19 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 285 | 28 | 23 |
| Feb | 190 | 23 | 19 |
| Mar | 169 | 21 | 12 |
| Apr | 132 | 15 | 2 |
| May | 134 | 14 | 0 |
| Jun | 148 | 13 | 0 |
| Jul | 259 | 17 | 0 |
| Aug | 203 | 16 | 0 |
| Sep | 180 | 16 | 0 |
| Oct | 203 | 17 | 0 |
| Nov | 238 | 21 | 3 |
| Dec | 311 | 26 | 15 |
Snow in Tsuruoka
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Tsuruoka averages about 72 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 3 to Apr 23 — about 5.7 months.
January is snowiest, with roughly 22 days of snow and an estimated 187 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 561 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 23 | 19 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 187 | 149 | 65 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 142 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | 187 |
| Feb | 19 | 149 |
| Mar | 12 | 65 |
| Apr | 2 | 5 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 3 | 14 |
| Dec | 15 | 142 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Tsuruoka, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around July 21 and lasts for 3.8 months, ending around November 14. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 45% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around November 15 and lasts for 4.0 months, ending around March 15. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 81% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 19 | 24 | 35 | 43 | 43 | 37 | 32 | 45 | 40 | 41 | 33 | 20 |
| Cloudier (%) | 81 | 76 | 65 | 57 | 57 | 63 | 68 | 55 | 60 | 59 | 67 | 80 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | 81 |
| Feb | 24 | 76 |
| Mar | 35 | 65 |
| Apr | 43 | 57 |
| May | 43 | 57 |
| Jun | 37 | 63 |
| Jul | 32 | 68 |
| Aug | 45 | 55 |
| Sep | 40 | 60 |
| Oct | 41 | 59 |
| Nov | 33 | 67 |
| Dec | 20 | 80 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 11, brings about 14 h 42 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 9 h 18 min — a swing of roughly 5 h 24 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.6 | 10.5 | 11.7 | 13.0 | 14.1 | 14.7 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:03 | 6:40 | 6:00 | 5:11 | 4:34 | 4:20 | 4:32 | 4:59 | 5:28 | 5:57 | 6:30 | 6:58 |
| Sunset (PM) | 4:37 | 5:10 | 5:41 | 6:11 | 6:40 | 7:02 | 7:00 | 6:30 | 5:42 | 4:55 | 4:22 | 4:16 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.6 | 7:03 | 4:37 |
| Feb | 10.5 | 6:40 | 5:10 |
| Mar | 11.7 | 6:00 | 5:41 |
| Apr | 13.0 | 5:11 | 6:11 |
| May | 14.1 | 4:34 | 6:40 |
| Jun | 14.7 | 4:20 | 7:02 |
| Jul | 14.4 | 4:32 | 7:00 |
| Aug | 13.5 | 4:59 | 6:30 |
| Sep | 12.3 | 5:28 | 5:42 |
| Oct | 11.0 | 5:57 | 4:55 |
| Nov | 9.9 | 6:30 | 4:22 |
| Dec | 9.3 | 6:58 | 4:16 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Tsuruoka averages about 5 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 0 and 10 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 3.0 months, from around Mar 27 to Jun 25. The sunniest month is May, with roughly 9 sunny days (mixed).
The greyest month is January, down near 0 sunny days — about 96% fewer than the May peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 1 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 4 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 8 | Mixed |
| May | 9 | Mixed |
| Jun | 7 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 6 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 9 | Mixed |
| Sep | 7 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 7 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 5 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 2 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Tsuruoka, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 3.8 months, from around June 8 to October 1. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 95% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around October 2 to June 7, and April is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 81 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 71 | 99 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 35 | 5 | 3 | 21 | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 21 | 12 | 27 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 40 | 28 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Oppressive (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 51 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miserable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 81 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 17 | 35 | 34 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 5 | 21 | 40 | 33 | 1 |
| Aug | 0 | 3 | 12 | 28 | 51 | 6 |
| Sep | 13 | 21 | 27 | 25 | 13 | 1 |
| Oct | 71 | 19 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Tsuruoka is typically light breeze, near 15 km/h, and varies a lot with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 5.8 months, from around Oct 26 to Apr 19. The windiest month is January, averaging about 20 km/h (breezy).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Apr 20 to Oct 25, with August the calmest month at about 11 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 20 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 19 |
| Feels | breezy | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | calm | calm | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | breezy |
| Feb | 19 | light breeze |
| Mar | 17 | light breeze |
| Apr | 15 | light breeze |
| May | 13 | light breeze |
| Jun | 11 | calm |
| Jul | 11 | calm |
| Aug | 11 | calm |
| Sep | 12 | light breeze |
| Oct | 14 | light breeze |
| Nov | 17 | light breeze |
| Dec | 19 | light breeze |
Hazard calendar for Tsuruoka
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Tsuruoka sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Best time to visit Tsuruoka
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Tsuruoka throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early October, Tsuruoka is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Tsuruoka for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid May to mid October, with a peak score in the first week of June.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.7 | 5.0 | 5.8 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 0.4 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | good | good | good | good | fair | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 0.0 | poor |
| Mar | 0.5 | poor |
| Apr | 2.7 | poor |
| May | 5.0 | fair |
| Jun | 5.8 | good |
| Jul | 5.6 | good |
| Aug | 5.8 | good |
| Sep | 5.7 | good |
| Oct | 4.8 | fair |
| Nov | 2.3 | poor |
| Dec | 0.4 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Tsuruoka for hot-weather activities is from mid July to mid September, with a peak score in the first week of August.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Tsuruoka, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around August (highs near 26°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 3°C), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat, rain gear and a windbreaker.
In August, Tsuruoka sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 22°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 16 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Tsuruoka
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 20 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 24 to Oct 27 — about 4.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 18 | 15 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Bracing |
| Feb | 10 | Bracing |
| Mar | 9 | Bracing |
| Apr | 10 | Bracing |
| May | 14 | Bracing |
| Jun | 19 | Cool |
| Jul | 23 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 26 | Warm |
| Sep | 25 | Warm |
| Oct | 21 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 18 | Cool |
| Dec | 15 | Bracing |
UV index (midday) in Tsuruoka by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tsuruoka 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | High | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 7 | High |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Average hourly UV index in Tsuruoka
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in August the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8 | 6.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 4 | 4 | 3.5 | 5 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 4 | 0 |
| Apr | 6.5 | 1.5 |
| May | 7.5 | 4 |
| Jun | 7.5 | 4 |
| Jul | 7.5 | 3.5 |
| Aug | 8 | 5 |
| Sep | 6.5 | 3.5 |
| Oct | 4.5 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Air quality in Tsuruoka by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Tsuruoka is worst in April — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (September, 9 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 10 | 13 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Good |
| Feb | 13 | Moderate |
| Mar | 19 | Moderate |
| Apr | 20 | Moderate |
| May | 18 | Moderate |
| Jun | 13 | Moderate |
| Jul | 11 | Good |
| Aug | 10 | Good |
| Sep | 9 | Good |
| Oct | 9 | Good |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 9 | Good |
Growing season
The growing season in Tsuruoka typically lasts about 335 days, from around February 17 to January 17 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from March 26 to December 9.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 53 | 50 | 79 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 84 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 31 |
| Feb | 50 | 28 |
| Mar | 79 | 24 |
| Apr | 99 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 99 | 0 |
| Dec | 84 | 23 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Tsuruoka banks about 1,752 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 132 | 261 | 393 | 445 | 330 | 165 | 16 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 9 |
| May | 132 |
| Jun | 261 |
| Jul | 393 |
| Aug | 445 |
| Sep | 330 |
| Oct | 165 |
| Nov | 16 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Tsuruoka receives about 3.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.5 and 5.8 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.4 months, from around Mar 10 to Sep 19. The brightest month is June, averaging about 5.3 kWh/m² (bright).
The dimmest month is December, down near 1.6 kWh/m² — roughly 70% less than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 1.9 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.6 |
| Level | Dim | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Dim | Dim |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.9 | Dim |
| Feb | 2.8 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4.0 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5.0 | Bright |
| May | 5.5 | Bright |
| Jun | 5.4 | Bright |
| Jul | 4.7 | Bright |
| Aug | 4.8 | Bright |
| Sep | 3.8 | Moderate |
| Oct | 3.0 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2.0 | Dim |
| Dec | 1.6 | Dim |
Where is Tsuruoka?
Tsuruoka sits at 38.7°N, 139.8°E, 13 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Shonai, 16 km away.
Topography around Tsuruoka
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Tsuruoka.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Tsuruoka has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 103 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 954 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,184 m.
The land around Tsuruoka is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and cropland (36%) within 3 km, trees (45%) and cropland (32%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and water (36%) within 80 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
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 Tsuruoka (38.7217°, 139.8217°, elevation 13 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).