Himeji climate
Himeji (Japan) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 15 °C59 °F, and about 1,553 mm61 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Himeji climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 745 | −131 | 338 | 913.6 |
| Feb | 948 | 032 | 440 | 903.6 |
| Mar | 1355 | 236 | 846 | 1084.3 |
| Apr | 1966 | 745 | 1355 | 1114.4 |
| May | 2374 | 1355 | 1864 | 1285.0 |
| Jun | 2780 | 1864 | 2272 | 1686.6 |
| Jul | 3086 | 2373 | 2679 | 1997.8 |
| Aug | 3188 | 2374 | 2781 | 1335.2 |
| Sep | 2781 | 1966 | 2374 | 1877.4 |
| Oct | 2271 | 1355 | 1763 | 1425.6 |
| Nov | 1661 | 744 | 1152 | 903.6 |
| Dec | 1050 | 134 | 642 | 1054.1 |
| Year | 3188 | −131 | 1559 | 1,55361 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87% | 72% | 2.4 | 10:03 |
| Feb | 84% | 73% | 3.1 | 10:53 |
| Mar | 81% | 65% | 4.1 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 79% | 63% | 5.0 | 13:01 |
| May | 80% | 64% | 5.4 | 13:58 |
| Jun | 84% | 76% | 5.0 | 14:29 |
| Jul | 86% | 69% | 5.1 | 14:16 |
| Aug | 84% | 58% | 5.4 | 13:27 |
| Sep | 85% | 67% | 4.2 | 12:20 |
| Oct | 84% | 63% | 3.4 | 11:14 |
| Nov | 85% | 65% | 2.6 | 10:17 |
| Dec | 87% | 70% | 2.2 | 9:50 |
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 Himeji is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 31 °C88 °F and a low of 23 °C74 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 7 °C45 °F and lows −1 °C31 °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 1,553 mm61 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 33% of the annual total. The wettest month is July (199 mm7.8 in), the driest is February (90 mm3.6 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 79% in April to 87% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 58%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in August to 8 km/h (5 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 13 cm).
Best time to visit Himeji
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and October: average highs of 19 °C66 °F to 23 °C74 °F with 111 mm4.4 in to 142 mm5.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 7 °C45 °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 Himeji
- Winter (December–February) — highs 745 to 10 °C50 °F, lows −131 to 1 °C34 °F, about 95 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1355 to 23 °C74 °F, lows 236 to 13 °C55 °F, about 116 mm4.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2780 to 31 °C88 °F, lows 1864 to 23 °C74 °F, about 167 mm6.6 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 1661 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 744 to 19 °C66 °F, about 140 mm5.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Himeji compares
Compared with Kobe, about 46 km to the east, Himeji is on average 1.7 °C3 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in December (3.4 °C6.2 °F cooler).
Of the 111 places in Japan covered by World Climates, Himeji is the 58th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 70th 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 Kakogawachō-honmachi (pop. 271,634). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Himeji, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Kobe 46 km · 17 °C62 °F · 1,526 mm60 in
- Sandachō 49 km · 14 °C57 °F · 1,553 mm61 in
- Tsuyama 69 km · 14 °C58 °F · 1,488 mm59 in
- Okayama 72 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,466 mm58 in
- Osaka 74 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,753 mm69 in
- Minato 79 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,825 mm72 in
- Takamatsu 80 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,466 mm58 in
- Tokushima 84 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,816 mm71 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Himeji?
August is the warmest month in Himeji, with an average high of 31 °C (88 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (74 °F).
What is the coldest month in Himeji?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 7 °C (45 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (31 °F).
When does it rain the most in Himeji?
July is the wettest month with about 199 mm (7.8 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 90 mm (3.6 in).
What is the best time to visit Himeji?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and 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 212 m, while Himeji lies at about 8 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.3 °C2.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.