Wakkanai weather in January

In January, Wakkanai sees average daytime highs of -3°C and overnight lows near -7°C, with 56 mm of precipitation across 13.3 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-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 2% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 36 min at the start of January to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Wakkanai's 12th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wakkanai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-3°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-7°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
56 mm
13.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:16 AM – 4:09 PM
Cloud cover
84%
12th clearest
Wind
21 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Wakkanai is city in Sōya Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.

Density
44/km²
people per km²
Founded
1949

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 Wakkanai reaches about -3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -7°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 1°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and on par with February.

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

How January really feels in Wakkanai

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.

Wakkanai weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -7°5613.320.88.90.0
Feb-3° / -7°4310.515.710.10.0
Mar / -3°5410.71211.60.0
Apr / 589.74.413.20.8
May11° / 7110.30.514.72.9
Jun15° / 10°629.1015.44.6
Jul19° / 15°969.4015.16.0
Aug22° / 17°11510.7013.96.3
Sep19° / 14°11412012.35.8
Oct13° / 9613.50.110.73.5
Nov / 9114.89.49.30.6
Dec-0° / -4°7616.420.38.60.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 89%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21486
31486
41486
51486
61486
71486
81486
91387
101288
111288
121288
131288
141288
151090
161090
171090
181090
191090
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
301189
311189

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Wakkanai gets around 56 mm of rain and snow over 13.3 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 43% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 21 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14769
24669
34669
44670
54569
64569
74469
84469
94369
104368
114368
124368
134367
144367
154366
164366
174366
184365
194265
204265
214265
224265
234265
244265
254165
264164
274064
284064
293964
303963
313863

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 21 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
522breezy
622breezy
722breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1820breezy
1920breezy
2020breezy
2120breezy
2220breezy
2320breezy
2420breezy
2520breezy
2620breezy
2720breezy
2820breezy
2920breezy
3020breezy
3120breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 36 min at the start of January to 9 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:19 AM to 7:04 AM, and sunset from 3:54 PM to 4:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.67:193:54
28.67:193:55
38.67:193:56
48.67:193:57
58.67:193:57
68.77:193:58
78.77:193:59
88.77:194:00
98.77:184:01
108.77:184:03
118.87:184:04
128.87:184:05
138.87:174:06
148.87:174:07
158.97:164:08
168.97:164:09
178.97:154:11
189.07:154:12
199.07:144:13
209.07:134:14
219.07:134:16
229.17:124:17
239.17:114:18
249.27:114:20
259.27:104:21
269.27:094:22
279.37:084:24
289.37:074:25
299.37:064:26
309.47:054:28
319.47:044:29

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.29 kWh/m² to a high of 5.62 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 1.63 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.7Dim
221.7Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.8Dim
261.8Dim
271.9Dim
281.9Dim
291.9Dim
302.0Dim
312.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Wakkanai?

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
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Wakkanai.

What to pack for Wakkanai in January

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

In January, Wakkanai sees daytime highs around -3°C and nights near -7°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Wakkanai in January

The nearest coast averages about 4°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 20°C and coldest in February near 3°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar4Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug20Cool
Sep20Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov11Bracing
Dec7Bracing

UV index in Wakkanai 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 Wakkanai peaks around August 13 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowAug 13UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Wakkanai 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 Wakkanai is worst in April — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1115 µg/m³Dec 235 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb9Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May12Moderate
Jun7Good
Jul7Good
Aug7Good
Sep6Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Wakkanai?

Wakkanai sits at 45.4°N, 141.7°E, 7 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Makubetsu, 12 km away.

NayoroNevel’skMinamishibetsuchōKorsakovRumoiMombetsu

Topography around Wakkanai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Wakkanai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 206 m around an average of 49 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 208 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,669 m.

The land around Wakkanai is covered by trees (40%) and water (32%) within 3 km, water (68%) within 16 km, and water (74%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
206 m
16 km
208 m
80 km
1,669 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Makubetsu 12 km · Nayoro 133 km · Nevel’sk 142 km · Minamishibetsuchō 150 km · Korsakov 161 km · Rumoi 164 km · Mombetsu 177 km · Kholmsk 184 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 Wakkanai (45.4094°, 141.6739°, 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. 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).