Wakkanai weather in May

In May, Wakkanai sees average daytime highs of 11°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 71 mm of precipitation across 10.3 wet days and about 14.7 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 10°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Wakkanai's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wakkanai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11°
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
71 mm
10.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 42 min
4:09 AM – 6:50 PM
Cloud cover
65%
4th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 10°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical May day in Wakkanai reaches about 11°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
194
2104
3105
4105
5105
6105
7105
8105
9105
10115
11116
12116
13116
14116
15116
16116
17126
18127
19127
20127
21127
22127
23127
24137
25138
26138
27138
28138
29138
30138
31148

How May really feels in Wakkanai

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Wakkanai weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 7th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
33961
43961
53961
63961
73961
84060
94060
104060
114060
124060
134060
144060
154060
164060
174159
184159
193961
204060
214060
223961
233961
243961
253961
263862
273862
283862
293763
303763
313664

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Wakkanai gets around 71 mm of rain and snow over 10.3 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1365
2365
3354
4354
5354
6354
7353
8343
9343
10343
11332
12332
13322
14322
15322
16322
17321
18321
19321
20321
21321
22320
23320
24320
25320
26320
27320
28320
29320
30320
31320

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May 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 (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 19 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120light breeze
220light breeze
320light breeze
420light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:30 AM to 3:55 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 7:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.04:306:31
214.14:286:33
314.14:276:34
414.24:256:35
514.24:246:36
614.34:226:38
714.34:216:39
814.34:196:40
914.44:186:41
1014.44:176:43
1114.54:156:44
1214.54:146:45
1314.64:136:46
1414.64:116:48
1514.64:106:49
1614.74:096:50
1714.74:086:51
1814.84:076:52
1914.84:066:53
2014.84:056:55
2114.94:046:56
2214.94:036:57
2314.94:026:58
2415.04:016:59
2515.04:007:00
2615.03:597:01
2715.13:587:02
2815.13:587:03
2915.13:577:04
3015.13:567:05
3115.23:557:06

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.62 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — May's 5.62 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Wakkanai?

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

2.9
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Wakkanai.

What to pack for Wakkanai in May

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

In May, Wakkanai sees daytime highs around 11°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Wakkanai in May

The nearest coast averages about 9°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).