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Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Sapporo Japan

In Sapporo, the summers are comfortable, wet, and partly cloudy and the winters are freezing, snowy, windy, and mostly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 10°F to 78°F and is rarely below -1°F or above 86°F.

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

Climate in Sapporo

freezingvery coldcoldcoolcomfortablewarmcoolcoldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow64%64%23%23%overcastclearprecipitation: 5.4 inprecipitation: 5.4 in1.4 in1.4 inmuggy: 50%muggy: 50%0%0%drydrytourism score: 6.5tourism score: 6.50.00.0
Sapporo weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The warm season lasts for 3.5 months, from June 9 to September 24, with an average daily high temperature above 68°F. The hottest month of the year in Sapporo is August, with an average high of 77°F and low of 63°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.5 months, from December 1 to March 19, with an average daily high temperature below 38°F. The coldest month of the year in Sapporo is January, with an average low of 11°F and high of 28°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in Sapporo

Average High and Low Temperature in SapporowarmcoldcoldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec-10°F-10°F0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FJan 2427°FJan 2427°FAug 678°FAug 678°F10°F10°F65°F65°FJun 968°FJun 968°FSep 2468°FSep 2468°FDec 138°FDec 138°FMar 1938°FMar 1938°F51°F51°F50°F50°F23°F23°F23°F23°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 28°F30°F37°F51°F63°F69°F75°F77°F71°F59°F45°F33°F
Temp. 20°F21°F29°F42°F52°F60°F67°F70°F62°F49°F37°F25°F
Low 11°F13°F22°F34°F44°F53°F61°F63°F54°F41°F29°F17°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 Sapporo

Average Hourly Temperature in SapporoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 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 AMNowNowfreezingfreezingvery coldvery coldcoldcoldcoolcoolcomfortablewarmfrigid
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.

Deseronto, Canada (5,965 miles away) and Frankfort, Maine, United States (6,106 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Sapporo (view comparison).

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Compare Sapporo to another city:

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In Sapporo, 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 Sapporo begins around March 14 and lasts for 8.5 months, ending around November 29.

The clearest month of the year in Sapporo is October, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 63% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 29 and lasts for 3.5 months, ending around March 14.

The cloudiest month of the year in Sapporo is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 76% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories in Sapporo

Cloud Cover Categories in SapporoclearercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Oct 1164%Oct 1164%Jan 1823%Jan 1823%Mar 1443%Mar 1443%Nov 2944%Nov 2944%NowNowclearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
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 76%72%56%52%56%52%50%51%45%37%48%66%
Clearer 24%28%44%48%44%48%50%49%55%63%52%34%

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

The wetter season lasts 6.4 months, from August 13 to February 25, with a greater than 33% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Sapporo is November, with an average of 13.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.6 months, from February 25 to August 13. The month with the fewest wet days in Sapporo is April, with an average of 7.1 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. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation in Sapporo changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 8.6 months, from March 15 to December 1. The month with the most days of rain alone in Sapporo is October, with an average of 11.8 days.

Snow alone is the most common for 3.4 months, from December 1 to March 15. The month with the most days of snow alone in Sapporo is January, with an average of 8.4 days.

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Sapporo

Daily Chance of Precipitation in SapporosnowrainsnowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Nov 645%Nov 645%Mar 2622%Mar 2622%Aug 1333%Aug 1333%NowNowsnowrainmixed
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 1.1d1.2d3.1d6.2d8.1d7.5d9.0d10.7d11.1d11.8d8.6d2.5d
Mixed 1.7d1.8d2.0d0.7d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.4d2.7d3.5d
Snow 8.4d6.9d2.8d0.2d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d1.9d7.3d
Any 11.2d9.9d7.8d7.1d8.1d7.5d9.0d10.7d11.1d12.3d13.2d13.3d

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. Sapporo experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Sapporo. The month with the most rain in Sapporo is August, with an average rainfall of 5.3 inches.

The month with the least rain in Sapporo is January, with an average rainfall of 0.4 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in Sapporo

Average Monthly Rainfall in SapporoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in5 in5 in10 in10 in15 in15 in20 in20 inAug 225.4 inAug 225.4 inFeb 10.4 inFeb 10.4 inMay 52.3 inMay 52.3 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 0.4″0.5″0.9″1.8″2.2″2.3″3.5″5.3″4.8″3.7″2.8″1.0″

Snowfall

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

The snowy period of the year lasts for 5.7 months, from October 22 to April 12, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Sapporo is December, with an average snowfall of 16.8 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 6.3 months, from April 12 to October 22. The least snow falls around July 18, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

Average Monthly Snowfall in Sapporo

Average Monthly Snowfall in SapporosnowsnowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in5 in5 in10 in10 in15 in15 in20 in20 in25 in25 in30 in30 in35 in35 inDec 2517.6 inDec 2517.6 inJul 180.0 inJul 180.0 inOct 221.0 inOct 221.0 inApr 121.0 inApr 121.0 in
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 14.3″11.8″5.7″0.8″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.5″6.0″16.8″

The length of the day in Sapporo varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 0 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 15 hours, 22 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Sapporo

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in SapporoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 9 minMar 2012 hr, 9 minMar 2015 hr, 22 minJun 2115 hr, 22 minJun 2112 hr, 10 minSep 2212 hr, 10 minSep 229 hr, 0 minDec 219 hr, 0 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 9.4h10.5h12.0h13.4h14.7h15.3h15.0h13.9h12.5h11.0h9.7h9.1h

The earliest sunrise is at 3:54 AM on June 15, and the latest sunrise is 3 hours, 12 minutes later at 7:06 AM on January 3. The earliest sunset is at 3:59 PM on December 8, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 19 minutes later at 7:18 PM on June 26.

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

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in Sapporo

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in SapporoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PMJun 153:54 AMJun 153:54 AM7:18 PMJun 267:18 PMJun 26Dec 83:59 PMDec 83:59 PM7:06 AMJan 37:06 AMJan 3daynightnightnightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
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 Sapporo

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in SapporoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 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 AM0000101010102020202030303040405060600000101010102020202030303040405050602370NowNow
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 Sapporo

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.

Sapporo experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 2.2 months, from July 7 to September 13, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 13% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Sapporo is August, with 13.1 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is March 12, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.

Humidity Comfort Levels in Sapporo

Humidity Comfort Levels in SapporomuggyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Mar 120%Mar 120%Aug 650%Aug 650%Jul 713%Jul 713%Sep 1313%Sep 1313%muggymuggydrydryhumidhumidoppressiveoppressivecomfortablecomfortable
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 0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.5d8.1d13.1d3.3d0.1d0.0d0.0d

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

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.1 months, from October 10 to May 13, with average wind speeds of more than 8.2 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Sapporo is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 10.5 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.9 months, from May 13 to October 10. The calmest month of the year in Sapporo is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 5.9 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in Sapporo

Average Wind Speed in SapporowindywindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph2 mph2 mph4 mph4 mph6 mph6 mph8 mph8 mph10 mph10 mph12 mph12 mph14 mph14 mph16 mph16 mphFeb 810.6 mphFeb 810.6 mphJul 55.8 mphJul 55.8 mphOct 108.2 mphOct 108.2 mphMay 138.2 mphMay 138.2 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) 10.210.510.19.38.06.35.96.27.08.49.49.9

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

The wind is most often from the south for 5.7 months, from April 9 to September 29, with a peak percentage of 59% on July 15. The wind is most often from the west for 6.3 months, from September 29 to April 9, with a peak percentage of 59% on January 1.

Wind Direction in Sapporo

Wind Direction in SapporoWSWJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%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).

Sapporo 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 15 to October 6, with an average temperature above 64°F. The month of the year in Sapporo with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 70°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.5 months, from December 20 to May 3, with an average temperature below 46°F. The month of the year in Sapporo with the coolest water is March, with an average temperature of 41°F.

Average Water Temperature in Sapporo

Average Water Temperature in SapporowarmcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec35°F35°F40°F40°F45°F45°F50°F50°F55°F55°F60°F60°F65°F65°F70°F70°F75°F75°FAug 2270°FAug 2270°F40°FMar 240°FMar 2Jul 1564°FJul 1564°FOct 664°FOct 664°FDec 2046°FDec 2046°FMay 346°FMay 346°FNowNow
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 43°F41°F41°F44°F49°F57°F64°F70°F68°F62°F54°F47°F

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

Tourism Score in Sapporo

Tourism Score in Sapporobest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810106.56.50.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature 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 Sapporo for hot-weather activities is from late July to mid August, with a peak score in the first week of August.

Beach/Pool Score in Sapporo

Beach/Pool Score in SapporoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810103.23.20.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitation
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 Sapporo typically lasts for 5.3 months (163 days), from around May 3 to around October 13, rarely starting before April 15 or after May 21, and rarely ending before September 27 or after October 29.

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

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Sapporogrowing seasonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%May 350%May 350%Oct 1350%Oct 1350%May 2190%May 2190%Sep 2790%Sep 2790%Apr 1510%Apr 1510%Oct 2910%Oct 2910%Jul 24100%Jul 24100%NowNowfrigidfreezingcoldcoolcomfortablewarmvery cold
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 Sapporo should appear around May 15, only rarely appearing before May 7 or after May 24.

Growing Degree Days in Sapporo

Growing Degree Days in SapporoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F500°F500°F1,000°F1,000°F1,500°F1,500°F2,000°F2,000°FMay 1590°FMay 1590°FJul 25900°FJul 25900°FSep 121,800°FSep 121,800°FDec 312,117°FDec 312,117°FNowNow
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 3.9 months, from April 22 to August 20, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.2 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Sapporo is June, with an average of 6.1 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.3 months, from November 4 to February 14, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.2 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Sapporo is December, with an average of 1.3 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Sapporo

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in SapporobrightdarkdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWhJul 56.2 kWhJul 56.2 kWhDec 201.2 kWhDec 201.2 kWhApr 225.2 kWhApr 225.2 kWhAug 205.2 kWhAug 205.2 kWhNov 42.2 kWhNov 42.2 kWhFeb 142.2 kWhFeb 142.2 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) 1.42.33.74.95.76.16.05.34.23.11.81.3

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Sapporo are 43.067 deg latitude, 141.350 deg longitude, and 85 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Sapporo contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 148 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 68 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (3,606 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (6,266 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Sapporo is covered by grassland (72%), cropland (13%), and trees (10%), within 10 miles by trees (45%) and cropland (32%), and within 50 miles by trees (46%) and water (35%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Sapporo, 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 is only a single weather station, Chitose Air Base, in our network suitable to be used as a proxy for the historical temperature and dew point records of Sapporo.

At a distance of 40 kilometers from Sapporo, closer than our threshold of 150 kilometers, this station is deemed sufficiently nearby to be relied upon as our primary source for temperature and dew point records.

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

Please note that the station records themselves may additionally have been back-filled using other nearby stations or the MERRA-2 reanalysis.

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.