Wakkanai weather in October

In October, Wakkanai sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 96 mm of precipitation across 13.5 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 10°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Wakkanai's 1st-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wakkanai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
96 mm
13.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
5:57 AM – 4:39 PM
Cloud cover
56%
1st clearest
Wind
21 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 10°C by the end.

A typical October day in Wakkanai reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 6°C cooler than September and about 7°C warmer than November.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11612
21611
31611
41611
51611
61511
71510
81510
91510
101510
111410
12149
13149
14149
15139
16139
17138
18138
19138
20128
21128
22127
23127
24127
25117
26117
27117
28116
29106
30106
31106

How October really feels in Wakkanai

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October 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

October 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 October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45545
55545
65545
75644
85644
95743
105743
115842
125743
135743
145743
155743
165743
175644
185644
195644
205644
215545
225545
235446
245347
255347
265248
275050
285050
294852
304852
314654

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Wakkanai gets around 96 mm of rain and snow over 13.5 wet days in October. 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 45% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1430
2430
3430
4430
5430
6430
7430
8440
9440
10440
11440
12440
13440
14440
15440
16440
17440
18440
19440
20441
21441
22441
23441
24441
25442
26442
27442
28443
29454
30454
31455

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
181172
284151
385141
486131
588111
689101
79091
89271
99460
109550
119550
129640
139730
149730
159820
169820
179820
189820
199910
209910
219910
229910
2310000
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

Wind in October

Winds average 21 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 23 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
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 96 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:37 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 5:07 PM to 4:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:375:07
211.45:395:05
311.45:405:03
411.35:415:01
511.35:434:59
611.25:444:58
711.25:454:56
811.15:474:54
911.15:484:52
1011.05:494:50
1111.05:514:48
1210.95:524:46
1310.95:534:45
1410.85:554:43
1510.75:564:41
1610.75:574:39
1710.65:594:37
1810.66:004:36
1910.56:024:34
2010.56:034:32
2110.46:044:31
2210.46:064:29
2310.36:074:27
2410.36:094:26
2510.26:104:24
2610.26:114:23
2710.16:134:21
2810.16:144:20
2910.06:164:18
3010.06:174:17
319.96:184:15

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.82 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 — October's 2.82 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.1Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Wakkanai?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Wakkanai.

What to pack for Wakkanai in October

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

In October, Wakkanai sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Wakkanai in October

The nearest coast averages about 16°C in October — 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 October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 3 — 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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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