January 0° · ☂ 20 February 1° · ☂ 20 March 5° · ☂ 16 April 12° · ☂ 10 May 18° · ☂ 9 ★ June22° · ☂ 8 ★ July26° · ☂ 7 August 27° · ☂ 10 ★ September23° · ☂ 9 October 17° · ☂ 12 November 9° · ☂ 16 December 2° · ☂ 20 Sapporo in January:bitterly cold, snow every other day Sapporo, Japan · Records from 2006 to 2025. Not a forecast.
Mean high 0° Hottest day 8.2° (2009)
Mean low −6° Coldest night −15.8° (2021)
Rain or snow days 20 days 11-28 by year
Rainfall 110mm Daylight 9.1 → 9.9 h
Sapporo's 12 months i Best: June, July and September
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Trip types Sightseeing on foot Poorcold and frequent rain
Humidity 80% 0 muggy days
Clear days 0 days 10 overcast days
Mean wind 9 km/h Rarely windy
Sunrise / sunset (15th) 07:03 / 16:24 Daylight 9.1 → 9.9 h
Sapporo in January The snowiest month of the year, so snow boots and hand warmers go at the top of the packing list. Heavy snow can slow travel, so keep the first and last days of the trip loose.
Even the daytime highs averaged just 0°C, with nights at −6°C. The month stayed near or below freezing all day. Precipitation fell on more than half the days: 20 on average. At 0°C by day, a good share of the wet days were snow days, so the rain-day count includes fresh snow and the totals count it as melted water. Averages hide a lot here: one year saw 11, another 28.
With as little as 9.1 hours of daylight, the sightseeing day was short and dinner came after dark. Frost touched 30 nights of the month on average, enough to glaze puddles and shaded steps at first light. The lowest night on record was −15.8°C in 2021.
Typhoons i Typhoons: August to October
Date by date i Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Week
January 1 Friday 1 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 0° −5° January 2 Saturday 2 rain in 17 of 20 yrs 17/20 1° −5° 1-2 rain on 75% of days 1° −5°
January 3 Sunday 3 rain in 14 of 20 yrs 14/20 0° −5° January 4 Monday 4 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 −1° −5° January 5 Tuesday 5 rain in 12 of 20 yrs 12/20 0° −6° January 6 Wednesday 6 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 0° −6° January 7 Thursday 7 rain in 12 of 20 yrs 12/20 0° −5° January 8 Friday 8 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 0° −6° January 9 Saturday 9 rain in 14 of 20 yrs 14/20 0° −6° 3-9 rain on 65% of days 0° −6°
January 10 Sunday 10 rain in 12 of 20 yrs 12/20 −1° −7° January 11 Monday 11 rain in 14 of 20 yrs 14/20 −1° −7° January 12 Tuesday 12 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 −1° −6° January 13 Wednesday 13 rain in 14 of 20 yrs 14/20 −1° −6° January 14 Thursday 14 rain in 11 of 20 yrs 11/20 0° −7° January 15 Friday 15 rain in 9 of 20 yrs 9/20 −1° −7° January 16 Saturday 16 rain in 12 of 20 yrs 12/20 −1° −7° 10-16 rain on 61% of days −1° −7°
January 17 Sunday 17 rain in 8 of 20 yrs 8/20 −1° −8° January 18 Monday 18 rain in 15 of 20 yrs 15/20 −1° −8° January 19 Tuesday 19 rain in 11 of 20 yrs 11/20 0° −7° January 20 Wednesday 20 rain in 11 of 20 yrs 11/20 0° −6° January 21 Thursday 21 rain in 10 of 20 yrs 10/20 −1° −7° January 22 Friday 22 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 0° −7° January 23 Saturday 23 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 1° −6° 17-23 rain on 58% of days 0° −7°
January 24 Sunday 24 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 −1° −8° January 25 Monday 25 rain in 12 of 20 yrs 12/20 0° −6° January 26 Tuesday 26 rain in 11 of 20 yrs 11/20 0° −6° January 27 Wednesday 27 rain in 12 of 20 yrs 12/20 1° −6° January 28 Thursday 28 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 0° −6° January 29 Friday 29 rain in 15 of 20 yrs 15/20 0° −5° January 30 Saturday 30 rain in 16 of 20 yrs 16/20 1° −6° 24-30 rain on 66% of days 0° −6°
January 31 Sunday 31 rain in 14 of 20 yrs 14/20 0° −6°
January 31 rain on 70% of days 0° −6°
Rain was common on almost every date this month, so the shades compare dates within this month.
1-2 rain on 75% of days 1° −5° 3-9 rain on 65% of days 0° −6° 10-16 rain on 61% of days −1° −7° 17-23 rain on 58% of days 0° −7° 24-30 rain on 66% of days 0° −6° January 31 rain on 70% of days 0° −6°
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Week
January 1 Saturday 1 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 0° −5° January 1 rain on 65% of days 0° −5°
January 2 Sunday 2 rain in 17 of 20 yrs 17/20 1° −5° January 3 Monday 3 rain in 14 of 20 yrs 14/20 0° −5° January 4 Tuesday 4 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 −1° −5° January 5 Wednesday 5 rain in 12 of 20 yrs 12/20 0° −6° January 6 Thursday 6 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 0° −6° January 7 Friday 7 rain in 12 of 20 yrs 12/20 0° −5° January 8 Saturday 8 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 0° −6° 2-8 rain on 67% of days 0° −6°
January 9 Sunday 9 rain in 14 of 20 yrs 14/20 0° −6° January 10 Monday 10 rain in 12 of 20 yrs 12/20 −1° −7° January 11 Tuesday 11 rain in 14 of 20 yrs 14/20 −1° −7° January 12 Wednesday 12 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 −1° −6° January 13 Thursday 13 rain in 14 of 20 yrs 14/20 −1° −6° January 14 Friday 14 rain in 11 of 20 yrs 11/20 0° −7° January 15 Saturday 15 rain in 9 of 20 yrs 9/20 −1° −7° 9-15 rain on 62% of days −1° −7°
January 16 Sunday 16 rain in 12 of 20 yrs 12/20 −1° −7° January 17 Monday 17 rain in 8 of 20 yrs 8/20 −1° −8° January 18 Tuesday 18 rain in 15 of 20 yrs 15/20 −1° −8° January 19 Wednesday 19 rain in 11 of 20 yrs 11/20 0° −7° January 20 Thursday 20 rain in 11 of 20 yrs 11/20 0° −6° January 21 Friday 21 rain in 10 of 20 yrs 10/20 −1° −7° January 22 Saturday 22 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 0° −7° 16-22 rain on 57% of days −1° −7°
January 23 Sunday 23 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 1° −6° January 24 Monday 24 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 −1° −8° January 25 Tuesday 25 rain in 12 of 20 yrs 12/20 0° −6° January 26 Wednesday 26 rain in 11 of 20 yrs 11/20 0° −6° January 27 Thursday 27 rain in 12 of 20 yrs 12/20 1° −6° January 28 Friday 28 rain in 13 of 20 yrs 13/20 0° −6° January 29 Saturday 29 rain in 15 of 20 yrs 15/20 0° −5° 23-29 rain on 64% of days 0° −6°
January 30 Sunday 30 rain in 16 of 20 yrs 16/20 1° −6° January 31 Monday 31 rain in 14 of 20 yrs 14/20 0° −6°
30-31 rain on 75% of days 0° −6°
Rain was common on almost every date this month, so the shades compare dates within this month.
January 1 rain on 65% of days 0° −5° 2-8 rain on 67% of days 0° −6° 9-15 rain on 62% of days −1° −7° 16-22 rain on 57% of days −1° −7° 23-29 rain on 64% of days 0° −6° 30-31 rain on 75% of days 0° −6°
Tap another date to change
2006 9mm
2007 1mm
2008 2mm
2009 none
2010 22mm
2011 1mm
2012 6mm
2013 6mm
2014 4mm
2015 1mm
2016 2mm
2017 none
2018 12mm
2019 1mm
2020 1mm
2021 none
2022 7mm
2023 4mm
2024 11mm
2025 3mm
Holidays in January (2027) December 29 to January 3 Year-end and New Year holidaysJanuary 1 New Year's DayJanuary 11 Coming of Age DayJanuary 18 Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. 1 Local public holiday or break (busier, pricier)1 US holidays (flights fill up)
Holidays in January (2028) December 29 to January 3 Year-end and New Year holidays 1 Local public holiday or break (busier, pricier)
Day by day temperature i −10° −3° 3° 10° 1 8 15 22 29 31
Your trip dates, the past 20 years Trip dates January 1 (Fri) 2 (Sat) 3 (Sun) 4 (Mon) 5 (Tue) 6 (Wed) 7 (Thu) 8 (Fri) 9 (Sat) 10 (Sun) 11 (Mon) 12 (Tue) 13 (Wed) 14 (Thu) 15 (Fri) 16 (Sat) 17 (Sun) 18 (Mon) 19 (Tue) 20 (Wed) 21 (Thu) 22 (Fri) 23 (Sat) 24 (Sun) 25 (Mon) 26 (Tue) 27 (Wed) 28 (Thu) 29 (Fri) 30 (Sat) 31 (Sun) ~ January 1 (Fri) 2 (Sat) 3 (Sun) 4 (Mon) 5 (Tue) 6 (Wed) 7 (Thu) 8 (Fri) 9 (Sat) 10 (Sun) 11 (Mon) 12 (Tue) 13 (Wed) 14 (Thu) 15 (Fri) 16 (Sat) 17 (Sun) 18 (Mon) 19 (Tue) 20 (Wed) 21 (Thu) 22 (Fri) 23 (Sat) 24 (Sun) 25 (Mon) 26 (Tue) 27 (Wed) 28 (Thu) 29 (Fri) 30 (Sat) 31 (Sun) 1-7 8-14 15-21 22-end Whole month
You can also click two dates on the axis. Hover a cell to see that day's rain. By year Driest trips first
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Trip rain days Month rain days Tap a date to start, tap another to end. Each cell is that date in one year. '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22 '23 '24 '25
of 20 10 Sun Pick January 10
12 11 Mon Pick January 11
14 12 Tue Pick January 12
13 13 Wed Pick January 13
14 14 Thu Pick January 14
11 16 Sat Pick January 16
12 18 Mon Pick January 18
15 19 Tue Pick January 19
11 20 Wed Pick January 20
11 21 Thu Pick January 21
10 22 Fri Pick January 22
13 23 Sat Pick January 23
13 24 Sun Pick January 24
13 25 Mon Pick January 25
12 26 Tue Pick January 26
11 27 Wed Pick January 27
12 28 Thu Pick January 28
13 29 Fri Pick January 29
15 30 Sat Pick January 30
16 31 Sun Pick January 31
14 Dates outside your trip are dimmed.
One row per year, one cell per day. 2017 had 11 rain days, 2022 had 28.
What to pack Wear the warmest coat you own with a thermal layer under it. At 0°C, hands and ears go numb first, so pack gloves and a hat.
Waterproof gloves and a hat with a brim kept the wet out on the long days.
Common questions Does it rain a lot in Sapporo in January? Over the past 20 years January averaged 20 rain days (1 mm or more) out of 31. Individual years ran from 11 in the driest to 28 in the wettest.
What should I wear in Sapporo in January? Days averaged 0°C and nights −6°C. Pack a heavy down coat, gloves plus a scarf, and non-slip boots.
Is January a good time to visit Sapporo? On warmth and rain days alone, Sapporo's easiest months were June, July and September. January ranked 8 of 12.
Is Sapporo humid in January? Mean relative humidity was 80%, high, but there were no muggy days (dew point of 20°C or more).
Previous month Sapporo in December Next month Sapporo in February Whole year Sapporo weather by month Where to go January By country Japan: all cities this month Compare Compare with Naha