Hikone climate
Hikone (Japan) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 14 °C58 °F, and about 1,865 mm73 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Hikone climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 542 | 032 | 337 | 1305.1 |
| Feb | 744 | 032 | 338 | 1044.1 |
| Mar | 1152 | 236 | 744 | 1275.0 |
| Apr | 1763 | 745 | 1254 | 1375.4 |
| May | 2272 | 1356 | 1864 | 1485.8 |
| Jun | 2678 | 1864 | 2271 | 1787.0 |
| Jul | 2984 | 2373 | 2679 | 2469.7 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2374 | 2780 | 1586.2 |
| Sep | 2680 | 1967 | 2373 | 2027.9 |
| Oct | 2169 | 1355 | 1762 | 1676.6 |
| Nov | 1558 | 745 | 1152 | 1154.5 |
| Dec | 847 | 236 | 542 | 1536.0 |
| Year | 3086 | 032 | 1458 | 1,86573 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88% | 75% | 2.1 | 10:01 |
| Feb | 85% | 73% | 2.8 | 10:52 |
| Mar | 82% | 69% | 3.8 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 80% | 66% | 4.7 | 13:02 |
| May | 80% | 68% | 5.2 | 14:00 |
| Jun | 83% | 79% | 4.8 | 14:31 |
| Jul | 85% | 77% | 4.7 | 14:19 |
| Aug | 84% | 67% | 5.0 | 13:28 |
| Sep | 85% | 71% | 4.0 | 12:21 |
| Oct | 85% | 65% | 3.3 | 11:13 |
| Nov | 85% | 64% | 2.4 | 10:15 |
| Dec | 88% | 72% | 1.9 | 9:47 |
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 Hikone is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 23 °C74 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 5 °C42 °F and lows 0 °C32 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 24.1 °C43.4 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,865 mm73 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 32% of the annual total. The wettest month is July (246 mm9.7 in), the driest is February (104 mm4.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 80% in May to 88% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 64%) are typical of November. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (6 mph) in August to 13 km/h (8 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in January and February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 15 cm).
Best time to visit Hikone
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and October: average highs of 21 °C69 °F to 22 °C72 °F with 148 mm5.8 in to 167 mm6.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 5 °C42 °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 Hikone
- Winter (December–February) — highs 542 to 8 °C47 °F, lows 032 to 2 °C36 °F, about 129 mm5.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1152 to 22 °C72 °F, lows 236 to 13 °C56 °F, about 137 mm5.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2678 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1864 to 23 °C74 °F, about 194 mm7.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1558 to 26 °C80 °F, lows 745 to 19 °C67 °F, about 161 mm6.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Hikone compares
Compared with Kusatsu, about 37 km to the southwest, Hikone has practically the same average temperature and receives 11% more precipitation (1,865 mm73 in vs 1,674 mm66 in).
Of the 111 places in Japan covered by World Climates, Hikone is the 73rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 29th 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: Virginia Beach (United States, Cfa), Norfolk (United States, Cfa) and East Hampton (United States, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Youkaichi (pop. 112,819). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Hikone, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Nagahama 15 km · 15 °C58 °F · 1,865 mm73 in
- Kusatsu 37 km · 14 °C58 °F · 1,674 mm66 in
- Yokkaichi 46 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,741 mm69 in
- Gifu 50 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,803 mm71 in
- Kyoto 52 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,657 mm65 in
- Nagoya 60 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,741 mm69 in
- Tsu 62 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,940 mm76 in
- Hirakata 73 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,657 mm65 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Hikone?
August is the warmest month in Hikone, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (74 °F).
What is the coldest month in Hikone?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 5 °C (42 °F) and an average low of 0 °C (32 °F).
When does it rain the most in Hikone?
July is the wettest month with about 246 mm (9.7 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 104 mm (4.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Hikone?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and October.
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 327 m, while Hikone lies at about 95 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.5 °C2.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.