Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Satsumasendai Japan

In Satsumasendai, the summers are warm, oppressive, and mostly cloudy; the winters are cold, windy, and mostly clear; and it is wet year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 42°F to 87°F and is rarely below 36°F or above 91°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Satsumasendai for warm-weather activities is from late September to late October.

The hot season lasts for 3.0 months, from June 26 to September 25, with an average daily high temperature above 80°F. The hottest month of the year in Satsumasendai is August, with an average high of 87°F and low of 77°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.2 months, from December 6 to March 12, with an average daily high temperature below 59°F. The coldest month of the year in Satsumasendai is January, with an average low of 43°F and high of 53°F.

In Satsumasendai, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Satsumasendai begins around September 7 and lasts for 6.5 months, ending around March 23.

The clearest month of the year in Satsumasendai is December, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 76% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around March 23 and lasts for 5.5 months, ending around September 7.

The cloudiest month of the year in Satsumasendai is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 73% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Satsumasendai varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.6 months, from March 25 to September 12, with a greater than 42% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Satsumasendai is June, with an average of 17.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.4 months, from September 12 to March 25. The month with the fewest wet days in Satsumasendai is December, with an average of 7.0 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Satsumasendai is June, with an average of 17.2 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 63% on June 26.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Satsumasendai experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Satsumasendai. The month with the most rain in Satsumasendai is June, with an average rainfall of 14.8 inches.

The month with the least rain in Satsumasendai is January, with an average rainfall of 2.3 inches.

The length of the day in Satsumasendai varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 10 hours, 4 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 14 hours, 14 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:12 AM on June 11, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 7 minutes later at 7:19 AM on January 10. The earliest sunset is at 5:14 PM on December 4, and the latest sunset is 2 hours, 14 minutes later at 7:28 PM on June 29.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Satsumasendai during 2024.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Satsumasendai experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 4.5 months, from May 25 to October 10, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 25% of the time.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Satsumasendai is January, with 0.0 days that are muggy or worse.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Satsumasendai experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.0 months, from November 14 to April 13, with average wind speeds of more than 10.3 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Satsumasendai is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 12.4 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 7.0 months, from April 13 to November 14. The calmest month of the year in Satsumasendai is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.2 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Satsumasendai varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the west for 1.1 weeks, from May 9 to May 17; for 2.4 weeks, from June 7 to June 24; for 3.1 weeks, from July 24 to August 15; and for 2.0 days, from August 19 to August 21, with a peak percentage of 35% on June 23. The wind is most often from the east for 3.0 weeks, from May 17 to June 7; for 4.0 days, from August 15 to August 19; and for 2.6 weeks, from August 21 to September 8, with a peak percentage of 31% on September 7. The wind is most often from the north for 8.0 months, from September 8 to May 9, with a peak percentage of 67% on January 1.

Satsumasendai is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 2.6 months, from July 11 to September 30, with an average temperature above 79°F. The month of the year in Satsumasendai with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 82°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.0 months, from December 24 to April 25, with an average temperature below 67°F. The month of the year in Satsumasendai with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 63°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Satsumasendai throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Satsumasendai for general outdoor tourist activities is from late September to late October, with a peak score in the second week of October.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Satsumasendai for hot-weather activities is from mid July to late September, with a peak score in the last week of August.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

While it does not do so every year, freezing temperatures are seen in Satsumasendai over some winters. The day least likely to be in the growing season is January 16, with a 68% chance.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Satsumasendai should appear around February 16, only rarely appearing before February 2 or after March 3.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 4.8 months, from April 8 to September 3, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.3 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Satsumasendai is May, with an average of 5.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.8 months, from November 11 to February 4, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.4 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Satsumasendai is December, with an average of 2.9 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Satsumasendai are 31.817 deg latitude, 130.300 deg longitude, and 16 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Satsumasendai contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 581 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 94 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (2,218 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (5,538 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Satsumasendai is covered by cropland (46%) and trees (43%), within 10 miles by trees (62%) and water (26%), and within 50 miles by water (62%) and trees (31%).