Yamada weather in January

In January, Yamada sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 73 mm of precipitation across 9.1 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 4°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% 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 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Yamada's 2nd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Yamada's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
73 mm
9.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
6:56 AM – 4:27 PM
Cloud cover
49%
2nd clearest
Wind
22 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Yamada is town in Shimohei District, Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

Density
58/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 4°C through the month.

A typical January day in Yamada reaches about 4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 0°C and 7°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)
151
241
341
440
540
640
740
840
940
1040
1140
1240
1340
1430
1530
163-1
173-1
183-1
193-1
203-1
213-1
223-1
233-1
243-1
253-1
263-1
273-1
283-1
293-1
303-1
313-1

How January really feels in Yamada

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.

Yamada weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -1°739.14.89.50.0
Feb / -1°648.85.510.40.0
Mar / 10511.35.511.70.2
Apr / 10610.61131.7
May13° / 10°11810.9014.13.4
Jun16° / 14°13012.1014.74.6
Jul20° / 18°15914.3014.55.5
Aug22° / 20°16712.9013.56.1
Sep20° / 18°20113.8012.35.6
Oct16° / 13°17511.40115.1
Nov12° / 849.50.29.83.1
Dec / 809.62.69.30.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 36%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26832
36832
46832
56733
66733
76634
86634
96634
106535
116535
126436
136337
146337
156238
166238
176238
186238
196139
206238
216238
226238
236337
246337
256337
266337
276337
286436
296436
306436
316337

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Yamada gets around 73 mm of rain and snow over 9.1 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 30% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12611
22611
32611
42612
52612
62712
72713
82813
92814
102915
113015
123015
133116
143116
153216
163217
173217
183217
193217
203217
213217
223217
233217
243117
253117
263017
273017
283017
292918
302918
312918

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 21 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
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:58 AM to 6:48 AM, and sunset from 4:13 PM to 4:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.36:584:13
29.36:584:14
39.36:584:15
49.36:584:15
59.36:584:16
69.36:584:17
79.36:584:18
89.36:584:19
99.46:584:20
109.46:584:21
119.46:584:22
129.46:574:23
139.46:574:24
149.56:574:25
159.56:574:26
169.56:564:27
179.56:564:28
189.56:564:29
199.66:554:30
209.66:554:31
219.66:544:32
229.76:544:33
239.76:534:34
249.76:534:35
259.76:524:36
269.86:524:37
279.86:514:39
289.86:504:40
299.96:494:41
309.96:494:42
319.96:484:43

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.44 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.04 kWh/m² to a high of 5.45 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.44 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Yamada

In seasonPeak

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

Yamada 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 Yamada?

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
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Yamada.

What to pack for Yamada in January

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

In January, Yamada sees daytime highs around 4°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Yamada in January

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in March near 7°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 31 to Sep 27 — about 1.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

5°10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul19Cool
Aug22Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec13Bracing

UV index in Yamada 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 Yamada peaks around August 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 19UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Yamada 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 Yamada is worst in April — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1320 µg/m³Dec 169 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul12Good
Aug10Good
Sep10Good
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Yamada?

Yamada sits at 39.5°N, 141.9°E, 4 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Miyako, 20 km away.

Topography around Yamada

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Yamada has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 303 m around an average of 63 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,116 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,869 m.

The land around Yamada is covered by trees (59%) and water (26%) within 3 km, trees (63%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and trees (58%) and water (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
303 m
16 km
1,116 m
80 km
1,869 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Miyako 20 km · Kamaishi 22 km · Tōno 40 km · Ōfunato 48 km · Rikuzen-Takata 56 km · Hizume 68 km · Kesennuma 71 km · Yahaba 71 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 Yamada (39.4667°, 141.95°, elevation 4 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).