Hakodate climate
Hakodate (Japan) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 10 °C49 °F, and about 1,202 mm47 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Hakodate climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 032 | −326 | −229 | 823.2 | 30 |
| Feb | 033 | −326 | −229 | 692.7 | 27 |
| Mar | 440 | −131 | 235 | 682.7 | 22 |
| Apr | 1049 | 338 | 644 | 742.9 | 4 |
| May | 1559 | 847 | 1253 | 853.3 | 0 |
| Jun | 2067 | 1355 | 1661 | 853.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 2373 | 1763 | 2068 | 1295.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 2577 | 1967 | 2272 | 1516.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 2271 | 1762 | 1967 | 1305.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 1661 | 1151 | 1356 | 1054.2 | 0 |
| Nov | 948 | 439 | 744 | 1154.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 236 | −130 | 133 | 1074.2 | 25 |
| Year | 2577 | −326 | 1049 | 1,20247 | 114 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88% | 91% | 1.3 | 9:27 |
| Feb | 85% | 87% | 2.0 | 10:32 |
| Mar | 81% | 78% | 3.2 | 11:49 |
| Apr | 81% | 67% | 4.4 | 13:17 |
| May | 83% | 68% | 5.0 | 14:31 |
| Jun | 85% | 71% | 5.0 | 15:12 |
| Jul | 88% | 77% | 4.4 | 14:55 |
| Aug | 86% | 71% | 4.2 | 13:51 |
| Sep | 82% | 68% | 3.8 | 12:25 |
| Oct | 79% | 68% | 2.8 | 10:00 |
| Nov | 83% | 82% | 1.6 | 9:45 |
| Dec | 87% | 90% | 1.1 | 9:09 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Hakodate is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 25 °C77 °F and a low of 19 °C67 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 0 °C32 °F and lows −3 °C26 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 23.9 °C43.1 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,202 mm47 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 34% of the annual total. The wettest month is August (151 mm6.0 in), the driest is March (68 mm2.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 79% in October to 88% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 67%) are typical of April. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in June to 16 km/h (10 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.2 hours in December to 15.2 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 18 cm).
Best time to visit Hakodate
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June: average highs of 20 °C67 °F to 20 °C67 °F with 85 mm3.3 in to 85 mm3.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 0 °C32 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Hakodate
- Winter (December–February) — highs 032 to 2 °C36 °F, lows −326 to −1 °C30 °F, about 86 mm3.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 440 to 15 °C59 °F, lows −131 to 8 °C47 °F, about 76 mm3.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2067 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 1355 to 19 °C67 °F, about 122 mm4.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 948 to 22 °C71 °F, lows 439 to 17 °C62 °F, about 117 mm4.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Hakodate compares
Compared with Aomori, about 107 km to the south, Hakodate is on average 1.1 °C2.1 °F cooler and receives 15% less precipitation (1,202 mm47 in vs 1,412 mm56 in). The difference is largest in May (1.4 °C2.6 °F cooler).
Of the 111 places in Japan covered by World Climates, Hakodate is the 105th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 107th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Japan climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Chicago (United States, Dfa), Kingston (Canada, Dfb) and Boston (United States, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Aomori 107 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,412 mm56 in
- Tomakomai 119 km · 9 °C48 °F · 1,226 mm48 in
- Hirosaki 133 km · 10 °C51 °F · 1,478 mm58 in
- Sapporo 152 km · 8 °C46 °F · 1,274 mm50 in
- Hachinohe 156 km · 10 °C51 °F · 1,267 mm50 in
- Morioka 233 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,384 mm54 in
- Akita 235 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,596 mm63 in
- Obihiro 239 km · 7 °C45 °F · 1,047 mm41 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Hakodate?
August is the warmest month in Hakodate, with an average high of 25 °C (77 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (67 °F).
What is the coldest month in Hakodate?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 0 °C (32 °F) and an average low of -3 °C (26 °F).
When does it rain the most in Hakodate?
August is the wettest month with about 151 mm (6.0 in) of precipitation; March is the driest with about 68 mm (2.7 in).
What is the best time to visit Hakodate?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 129 m, while Hakodate lies at about 5 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.8 °C1.5 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.