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Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Ōtsu Japan

In Ōtsu, the summers are short, hot, oppressive, and mostly cloudy; the winters are very cold, windy, and partly cloudy; and it is wet year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 32°F to 89°F and is rarely below 27°F or above 93°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Ōtsu for hot-weather activities is from late July to early September.

Climate in Ōtsu

coldcoolwarmhotwarmcoolcoldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow72%72%27%27%clearovercastprecipitation: 8.1 inprecipitation: 8.1 in2.1 in2.1 inmuggy: 96%muggy: 96%0%0%drydrybeach/pool score: 6.6beach/pool score: 6.60.00.0
Ōtsu weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The hot season lasts for 2.9 months, from June 22 to September 18, with an average daily high temperature above 80°F. The hottest month of the year in Ōtsu is August, with an average high of 88°F and low of 74°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.4 months, from December 4 to March 17, with an average daily high temperature below 53°F. The coldest month of the year in Ōtsu is January, with an average low of 32°F and high of 45°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in Ōtsu

Average High and Low Temperature in ŌtsuhotcoldcoldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FJan 2744°FJan 2744°FAug 689°FAug 689°F32°F32°F75°F75°FJun 2280°FJun 2280°FSep 1880°FSep 1880°FDec 453°FDec 453°FMar 1753°FMar 1753°F68°F68°F67°F67°F39°F39°F38°F38°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 45°F46°F53°F64°F73°F79°F85°F88°F80°F70°F60°F50°F
Temp. 38°F39°F45°F56°F64°F72°F79°F81°F74°F63°F52°F43°F
Low 32°F33°F39°F48°F57°F66°F73°F74°F67°F55°F45°F36°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in Ōtsu

Average Hourly Temperature in ŌtsuJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowvery coldvery coldcoldcoldcoolcoolwarmhotcomfortablevery coldcomfortablecold
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Baku, Azerbaijan (4,528 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Ōtsu (view comparison).

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Compare Ōtsu to another city:

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

The clearer part of the year in Ōtsu begins around September 15 and lasts for 6.6 months, ending around April 1.

The clearest month of the year in Ōtsu is December, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 71% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 1 and lasts for 5.4 months, ending around September 15.

The cloudiest month of the year in Ōtsu is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 68% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories in Ōtsu

Cloud Cover Categories in ŌtsuclearerclearercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Dec 1472%Dec 1472%Jul 127%Jul 127%Sep 1549%Sep 1549%Apr 149%Apr 149%NowNowclearmostly clearpartly cloudyovercastmostly cloudy
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 35%41%47%52%56%68%66%52%50%39%33%29%
Clearer 65%59%53%48%44%32%34%48%50%61%67%71%

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

The wetter season lasts 3.5 months, from June 10 to September 25, with a greater than 39% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Ōtsu is July, with an average of 13.6 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 8.5 months, from September 25 to June 10. The month with the fewest wet days in Ōtsu is November, with an average of 8.0 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 Ōtsu is July, with an average of 13.6 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 52% on July 2.

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Ōtsu

Daily Chance of Precipitation in ŌtsuwetdrydryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jul 252%Jul 252%Nov 1526%Nov 1526%Sep 2539%Sep 2539%NowNowrainmixed
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 7.7d7.7d10.1d10.0d10.1d12.9d13.6d11.6d12.2d9.4d8.0d8.2d
Mixed 0.9d0.9d0.2d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.5d
Snow 0.2d0.1d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d
Any 8.7d8.8d10.3d10.0d10.1d12.9d13.6d11.6d12.2d9.4d8.0d8.8d

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. Ōtsu experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Ōtsu. The month with the most rain in Ōtsu is June, with an average rainfall of 7.1 inches.

The month with the least rain in Ōtsu is January, with an average rainfall of 2.1 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in Ōtsu

Average Monthly Rainfall in ŌtsuJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in2 in2 in4 in4 in6 in6 in8 in8 in10 in10 in12 in12 in14 in14 inJun 288.1 inJun 288.1 inJan 12.1 inJan 12.1 inSep 186.7 inSep 186.7 inNowNow
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 2.1″2.8″4.0″4.6″5.4″7.1″6.7″4.7″6.7″4.7″3.0″2.3″

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Ōtsu experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 1.3 months, from January 12 to February 21, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Ōtsu is February, with an average snowfall of 1.3 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 11 months, from February 21 to January 12. The least snow falls around July 26, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

Average Monthly Snowfall in Ōtsu

Average Monthly Snowfall in ŌtsusnowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in2 in2 in4 in4 in6 in6 in8 in8 inFeb 11.5 inFeb 11.5 inJul 260.0 inJul 260.0 inNowNow
The average snowfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average rainfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Snowfall 1.1″1.3″0.1″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.5″

The length of the day in Ōtsu varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 48 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 14 hours, 31 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Ōtsu

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in ŌtsuJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 8 minMar 2012 hr, 8 minMar 2014 hr, 31 minJun 2114 hr, 31 minJun 2112 hr, 9 minSep 2212 hr, 9 minSep 229 hr, 48 minDec 219 hr, 48 minDec 21nightnightdayNowNow
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 10.1h10.9h12.0h13.1h14.0h14.5h14.2h13.4h12.4h11.3h10.3h9.8h

The earliest sunrise is at 4:42 AM on June 12, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 23 minutes later at 7:05 AM on January 8. The earliest sunset is at 4:44 PM on December 5, and the latest sunset is 2 hours, 30 minutes later at 7:14 PM on June 29.

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

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in Ōtsu

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in ŌtsuJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJun 124:42 AMJun 124:42 AM7:14 PMJun 297:14 PMJun 29Dec 54:44 PMDec 54:44 PM7:05 AMJan 87:05 AMJan 8daynightnightnightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in Ōtsu

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in ŌtsuJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM00001010101020202020303030304040405050506060700000101010102020202030303030404040505060703278NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

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.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in Ōtsu

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

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.

Ōtsu experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.6 months, from June 10 to September 27, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 24% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Ōtsu is August, with 28.2 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is February 13, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.

Humidity Comfort Levels in Ōtsu

Humidity Comfort Levels in ŌtsumuggyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Feb 130%Feb 130%96%Aug 496%Aug 4Jun 1024%Jun 1024%Sep 2724%Sep 2724%NowNowoppressiveoppressivedrydrymiserablemiserablemuggymuggyhumidhumid
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 0.0d0.0d0.0d0.2d1.3d11.2d27.1d28.2d14.4d1.9d0.0d0.0d

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 Ōtsu experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.5 months, from November 24 to May 7, with average wind speeds of more than 8.3 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Ōtsu is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.9 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.5 months, from May 7 to November 24. The calmest month of the year in Ōtsu is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.7 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in Ōtsu

Average Wind Speed in ŌtsuwindywindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph2 mph2 mph4 mph4 mph6 mph6 mph8 mph8 mph10 mph10 mph12 mph12 mph14 mph14 mph16 mph16 mphMar 910.1 mphMar 910.1 mphAug 36.5 mphAug 36.5 mphNov 248.3 mphNov 248.3 mphMay 78.3 mphMay 78.3 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 9.69.99.99.17.97.16.96.77.37.88.19.1

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

The wind is most often from the north for 4.5 months, from February 2 to June 16 and for 2.9 months, from August 25 to November 23, with a peak percentage of 52% on October 9. The wind is most often from the south for 2.3 months, from June 16 to August 25, with a peak percentage of 35% on July 17. The wind is most often from the west for 2.2 months, from November 23 to February 2, with a peak percentage of 51% on January 1.

Wind Direction in Ōtsu

Wind Direction in ŌtsuWNSNWJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowwestsouthnortheast
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Ōtsu 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 significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 2.7 months, from July 12 to October 1, with an average temperature above 76°F. The month of the year in Ōtsu with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 80°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.7 months, from December 12 to May 4, with an average temperature below 63°F. The month of the year in Ōtsu with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 58°F.

Average Water Temperature in Ōtsu

Average Water Temperature in ŌtsuwarmcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec50°F50°F55°F55°F60°F60°F65°F65°F70°F70°F75°F75°F80°F80°F85°F85°FAug 1580°FAug 1580°F58°FMar 658°FMar 6Jul 1276°FJul 1276°FOct 176°FOct 176°FDec 1263°FDec 1263°FMay 463°FMay 463°FNowNow
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 60°F58°F58°F61°F64°F70°F76°F80°F78°F73°F67°F62°F

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Ōtsu 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 Ōtsu for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid August to early October, with a peak score in the third week of September.

Tourism Score in Ōtsu

Tourism Score in Ōtsubest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810106.36.30.00.05.75.75.05.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

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 Ōtsu for hot-weather activities is from late July to early September, with a peak score in the second week of August.

Beach/Pool Score in Ōtsu

Beach/Pool Score in ŌtsuJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810106.66.60.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationbeach/pool score
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

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).

The growing season in Ōtsu typically lasts for 8.3 months (254 days), from around March 24 to around December 3, rarely starting before March 5 or after April 12, and rarely ending before November 15 or after December 21.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Ōtsu

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Ōtsugrowing seasonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%50%Mar 2450%Mar 2450%Dec 350%Dec 390%Apr 1290%Apr 1290%Nov 1590%Nov 1510%Mar 510%Mar 510%Dec 2110%Dec 210%Jan 260%Jan 26Jul 27100%Jul 27100%very coldcoldcoolcomfortablewarmhot
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

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 Ōtsu should appear around April 5, only rarely appearing before March 28 or after April 14.

Growing Degree Days in Ōtsu

Growing Degree Days in ŌtsuJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F500°F500°F1,000°F1,000°F1,500°F1,500°F2,000°F2,000°F2,500°F2,500°F3,000°F3,000°F3,500°F3,500°F4,000°F4,000°F4,500°F4,500°FApr 583°FApr 583°FJun 9900°FJun 9900°FJul 161,800°FJul 161,800°FDec 314,417°FDec 314,417°F
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

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 4.6 months, from April 13 to August 31, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.3 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Ōtsu is May, with an average of 6.0 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.0 months, from November 11 to February 11, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.0 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Ōtsu is December, with an average of 2.4 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Ōtsu

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in ŌtsubrightdarkdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWhMay 226.1 kWhMay 226.1 kWhDec 312.3 kWhDec 312.3 kWhApr 135.3 kWhApr 135.3 kWhAug 315.3 kWhAug 315.3 kWhFeb 113.0 kWhFeb 113.0 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 2.43.24.35.46.05.85.85.84.83.82.92.4

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Ōtsu are 35.000 deg latitude, 135.867 deg longitude, and 430 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Ōtsu contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,640 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 560 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (2,795 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (4,757 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Ōtsu is covered by trees (44%), water (30%), cropland (14%), and grassland (11%), within 10 miles by trees (50%) and cropland (29%), and within 50 miles by trees (57%) and water (19%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Ōtsu, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 3 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Ōtsu.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Ōtsu according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Ōtsu is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Ōtsu and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Ōtsu and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.