Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Otaru Japan

In Otaru, the summers are comfortable, wet, and partly cloudy and the winters are freezing, snowy, windy, and overcast. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 17°F to 75°F and is rarely below 9°F or above 82°F.

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

The warm season lasts for 3.3 months, from June 17 to September 25, with an average daily high temperature above 66°F. The hottest month of the year in Otaru is August, with an average high of 75°F and low of 64°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.6 months, from December 1 to March 20, with an average daily high temperature below 38°F. The coldest month of the year in Otaru is January, with an average low of 18°F and high of 29°F.

In Otaru, 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 Otaru begins around March 13 and lasts for 8.4 months, ending around November 26.

The clearest month of the year in Otaru 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 26 and lasts for 3.6 months, ending around March 13.

The cloudiest month of the year in Otaru is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 83% 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 Otaru varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 6.1 months, from August 20 to February 23, with a greater than 34% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Otaru is November, with an average of 13.6 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.9 months, from February 23 to August 20. The month with the fewest wet days in Otaru is June, with an average of 6.9 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 Otaru changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 8.7 months, from March 15 to December 4. The month with the most days of rain alone in Otaru is October, with an average of 12.2 days.

Snow alone is the most common for 3.3 months, from December 4 to March 15. The month with the most days of snow alone in Otaru is January, with an average of 8.8 days.

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. Otaru experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Otaru. The month with the most rain in Otaru is August, with an average rainfall of 4.8 inches.

The month with the least rain in Otaru is February, with an average rainfall of 0.5 inches.

Snowfall

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

The snowy period of the year lasts for 5.5 months, from October 27 to April 10, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Otaru is December, with an average snowfall of 16.4 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 6.5 months, from April 10 to October 27. The least snow falls around July 30, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Otaru varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 8 hours, 59 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 15 hours, 23 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 3:55 AM on June 15, and the latest sunrise is 3 hours, 12 minutes later at 7:08 AM on January 3. The earliest sunset is at 4:00 PM on December 9, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 19 minutes later at 7:19 PM on June 26.

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

Otaru experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 2.1 months, from July 9 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 Otaru is August, with 13.5 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is March 15, 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 Otaru experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.1 months, from October 1 to May 3, with average wind speeds of more than 9.4 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Otaru is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 12.5 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.9 months, from May 3 to October 1. The calmest month of the year in Otaru is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.1 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the south for 5.2 months, from April 12 to September 17, with a peak percentage of 52% on July 15. The wind is most often from the west for 6.8 months, from September 17 to April 12, with a peak percentage of 61% on January 1.

Otaru 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 16 to October 6, with an average temperature above 65°F. The month of the year in Otaru 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 18 to May 4, with an average temperature below 47°F. The month of the year in Otaru with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 41°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Otaru 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 Otaru for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid July to early September, with a peak score in the first 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 Otaru for hot-weather activities is from late July to mid 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 Otaru typically lasts for 6.6 months (202 days), from around April 15 to around November 4, rarely starting before March 30 or after May 3, and rarely ending before October 20 or after November 19.

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 Otaru should appear around May 24, only rarely appearing before May 16 or after June 2.

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 extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.9 months, from April 23 to August 20, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.2 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Otaru is June, with an average of 6.1 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.4 months, from November 5 to February 16, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.1 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Otaru is December, with an average of 1.2 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Otaru are 43.189 deg latitude, 141.002 deg longitude, and 98 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Otaru contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,493 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 255 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (4,213 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (6,184 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Otaru is covered by water (37%), trees (20%), grassland (18%), and cropland (17%), within 10 miles by water (58%) and trees (34%), and within 50 miles by water (51%) and trees (34%).