Tsuruoka weather in January

In January, Tsuruoka sees average daytime highs of 3°C and overnight lows near 0°C, with 285 mm of precipitation across 27.7 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 3°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 Tsuruoka's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tsuruoka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
285 mm
27.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:03 AM – 4:37 PM
Cloud cover
77%
12th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.92 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

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.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 3°C through the month.

A typical January day in Tsuruoka reaches about 3°C in the afternoon and slips back to 0°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 0°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
141
241
341
441
541
641
741
831
930
1030
1130
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1730
1830
1930
2030
2130
2230
2330
2430
2530
2630
2730
2830
2930
3030
3130

How January really feels in Tsuruoka

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.

Tsuruoka weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 28527.722.89.60.0
Feb / 19022.918.810.50.0
Mar / 16920.611.511.70.5
Apr12° / 13215.41.5132.7
May17° / 12°13413.7014.15.0
Jun21° / 17°14812.8014.75.8
Jul25° / 21°25917.2014.45.6
Aug26° / 22°20315.7013.55.7
Sep23° / 19°18015.5012.35.7
Oct18° / 13°20316.70114.8
Nov12° / 23820.92.69.92.3
Dec / 31126.3159.30.3

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 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 81%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
21981
31882
41882
51882
61981
71981
81981
91981
101981
112080
121981
131981
141981
151981
161981
171981
181981
191981
201981
212080
222080
232080
242080
251981
261981
271981
281981
292080
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Tsuruoka gets around 285 mm of rain and snow over 27.7 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 89% and peaks near 91% on the wettest days, and about 23 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
19066
29067
39068
49169
59170
69170
79171
89171
99172
109172
119072
129072
139073
148973
158973
168973
178974
188974
198874
208875
218875
228875
238876
248876
258877
268877
278877
288777
298777
308777
318777

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
920breezy
1020breezy
1120breezy
1220breezy
1320breezy
1420light breeze
1520light breeze
1620light breeze
1720light breeze
1820light breeze
1920light breeze
2020light breeze
2120light breeze
2220light breeze
2320light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620breezy
2720breezy
2820breezy
2920breezy
3020breezy
3120light 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 4:24 PM to 4:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.37:044:24
29.37:044:25
39.47:044:25
49.47:044:26
59.47:044:27
69.47:044:28
79.47:044:29
89.47:044:30
99.47:044:30
109.57:044:31
119.57:044:32
129.57:044:33
139.57:044:34
149.57:034:35
159.57:034:36
169.67:034:37
179.67:034:38
189.67:024:39
199.67:024:40
209.77:014:41
219.77:014:42
229.77:004:43
239.77:004:44
249.86:594:46
259.86:594:47
269.86:584:48
279.96:584:49
289.96:574:50
299.96:564:51
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 1.92 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.56 kWh/m² to a high of 5.47 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 1.92 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
181.9Dim
192.0Dim
202.0Dim
212.0Moderate
222.0Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Tsuruoka

In seasonPeak

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

Tsuruoka 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 Tsuruoka?

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 Tsuruoka.

What to pack for Tsuruoka in January

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

In January, Tsuruoka sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near 0°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 28 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Tsuruoka 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 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.

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 Tsuruoka 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 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.

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 Tsuruoka 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 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).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1420 µg/m³Sep 209 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul11Good
Aug10Good
Sep9Good
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

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.

3 km
103 m
16 km
954 m
80 km
2,184 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Shonai 16 km · Sakata 22 km · Shinjō 42 km · Obanazawa 52 km · Yachi 54 km · Sagae 55 km · Murayama 59 km · Higashine 59 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 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).