Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Matsushima Japan

In Matsushima, the summers are warm, muggy, wet, and mostly cloudy and the winters are very cold, snowy, windy, and mostly clear. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 27°F to 80°F and is rarely below 20°F or above 87°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Matsushima for warm-weather activities is from mid July to mid September.

The warm season lasts for 3.0 months, from June 24 to September 23, with an average daily high temperature above 72°F. The hottest month of the year in Matsushima is August, with an average high of 80°F and low of 70°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.4 months, from December 5 to March 17, with an average daily high temperature below 47°F. The coldest month of the year in Matsushima is January, with an average low of 27°F and high of 40°F.

In Matsushima, 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 Matsushima begins around October 7 and lasts for 5.9 months, ending around April 3.

The clearest month of the year in Matsushima is December, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 68% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 3 and lasts for 6.1 months, ending around October 7.

The cloudiest month of the year in Matsushima is July, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 61% 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 Matsushima varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 3.5 months, from June 16 to October 2, with a greater than 34% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Matsushima is July, with an average of 13.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 8.5 months, from October 2 to June 16. The month with the fewest wet days in Matsushima is January, with an average of 6.7 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 Matsushima is July, with an average of 13.2 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 47% on July 8.

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. Matsushima experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Matsushima. The month with the most rain in Matsushima is September, with an average rainfall of 5.4 inches.

The month with the least rain in Matsushima is January, with an average rainfall of 1.2 inches.

Snowfall

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

The snowy period of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from December 6 to March 21, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Matsushima is January, with an average snowfall of 3.6 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 8.5 months, from March 21 to December 6. The least snow falls around August 5, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Matsushima varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 29 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 14 hours, 51 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 4:11 AM on June 14, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 42 minutes later at 6:53 AM on January 6. The earliest sunset is at 4:14 PM on December 6, and the latest sunset is 2 hours, 49 minutes later at 7:03 PM on June 28.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Matsushima 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.

Matsushima experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.0 months, from June 21 to September 22, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 21% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Matsushima is August, with 24.4 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is March 1, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.

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

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.9 months, from November 2 to April 28, with average wind speeds of more than 9.6 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Matsushima is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 12.4 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.1 months, from April 28 to November 2. The calmest month of the year in Matsushima is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.8 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the south for 3.7 months, from May 22 to September 12, with a peak percentage of 40% on August 6. The wind is most often from the east for 1.4 weeks, from September 12 to September 22, with a peak percentage of 30% on September 13. The wind is most often from the west for 8.0 months, from September 22 to May 22, with a peak percentage of 68% on January 1.

Matsushima 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 14 to October 4, with an average temperature above 69°F. The month of the year in Matsushima with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 74°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.5 months, from January 11 to April 26, with an average temperature below 52°F. The month of the year in Matsushima with the coolest water is March, with an average temperature of 47°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Matsushima 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 Matsushima for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid July to mid September, with a peak score in the second week of August.

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 Matsushima for hot-weather activities is from late July to late August, with a peak score in the first 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).

The growing season in Matsushima typically lasts for 7.4 months (227 days), from around April 3 to around November 16, rarely starting before March 18 or after April 18, and rarely ending before November 1 or after December 1.

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 Matsushima should appear around April 29, only rarely appearing before April 21 or after May 8.

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 4.2 months, from April 15 to August 21, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.3 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Matsushima is June, with an average of 5.9 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from November 8 to February 10, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.8 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Matsushima is December, with an average of 2.0 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Matsushima are 38.374 deg latitude, 141.061 deg longitude, and 66 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Matsushima contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 577 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 109 feet. Within 10 miles also contains significant variations in elevation (807 feet). Within 50 miles contains significant variations in elevation (6,148 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Matsushima is covered by trees (46%), water (36%), and cropland (14%), within 10 miles by water (37%) and cropland (29%), and within 50 miles by water (46%) and trees (37%).