Kitakyushu climate
Kitakyushu (Japan) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 17 °C62 °F, and about 1,860 mm73 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kitakyushu climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 949 | 642 | 745 | 773.0 |
| Feb | 1050 | 643 | 847 | 853.4 |
| Mar | 1355 | 847 | 1051 | 1204.7 |
| Apr | 1762 | 1253 | 1458 | 1425.6 |
| May | 2170 | 1660 | 1865 | 1566.1 |
| Jun | 2475 | 2067 | 2271 | 26510 |
| Jul | 2882 | 2475 | 2678 | 34013 |
| Aug | 2985 | 2577 | 2781 | 1927.6 |
| Sep | 2679 | 2272 | 2476 | 2007.9 |
| Oct | 2271 | 1864 | 2068 | 1074.2 |
| Nov | 1762 | 1355 | 1559 | 883.5 |
| Dec | 1253 | 846 | 1050 | 863.4 |
| Year | 2985 | 642 | 1762 | 1,86073 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 73% | 73% | 2.2 | 10:08 |
| Feb | 72% | 71% | 2.9 | 10:55 |
| Mar | 72% | 67% | 4.0 | 11:53 |
| Apr | 74% | 66% | 4.8 | 12:59 |
| May | 78% | 69% | 5.2 | 13:54 |
| Jun | 83% | 81% | 4.5 | 14:24 |
| Jul | 85% | 74% | 4.7 | 14:12 |
| Aug | 82% | 65% | 5.1 | 13:24 |
| Sep | 79% | 67% | 4.1 | 12:20 |
| Oct | 74% | 59% | 3.6 | 11:16 |
| Nov | 71% | 61% | 2.6 | 10:21 |
| Dec | 73% | 69% | 2.0 | 9:55 |
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 Kitakyushu is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 29 °C85 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 9 °C49 °F and lows 6 °C42 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 19.8 °C35.6 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,860 mm73 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 43% of the annual total. The wettest month is July (340 mm13 in), the driest is January (77 mm3.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 71% in November to 85% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 59%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 11 km/h (7 mph) in June to 19 km/h (12 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 9.9 hours in December to 14.4 hours in June.
Best time to visit Kitakyushu
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are October: average highs of 22 °C71 °F to 22 °C71 °F with 107 mm4.2 in to 107 mm4.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is very wet (340 mm13 in) and humid (85% relative humidity).
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 Kitakyushu
- Winter (December–February) — highs 949 to 12 °C53 °F, lows 642 to 8 °C46 °F, about 83 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1355 to 21 °C70 °F, lows 847 to 16 °C60 °F, about 140 mm5.5 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 2475 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 2067 to 25 °C77 °F, about 266 mm10 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1762 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 1355 to 22 °C72 °F, about 132 mm5.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Kitakyushu compares
Compared with Fukuoka, about 49 km to the southwest, Kitakyushu is on average 0.7 °C1.3 °F warmer and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in December (2.6 °C4.7 °F warmer).
Of the 111 places in Japan covered by World Climates, Kitakyushu is the 19th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 31st 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: Jeju City (South Korea, Cfa), Gijang (South Korea, Cfa) and Zhoushan (China, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Shimonoseki (pop. 265,684). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Kitakyushu, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Ube 38 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,821 mm72 in
- Fukuoka 49 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,901 mm75 in
- Yamaguchi 68 km · 15 °C60 °F · 1,821 mm72 in
- Saga 86 km · 17 °C62 °F · 2,078 mm82 in
- Beppu 87 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,939 mm76 in
- Karatsu 93 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,963 mm77 in
- Shunan 93 km · 15 °C58 °F · 1,696 mm67 in
- Ōita 98 km · 18 °C64 °F · 2,027 mm80 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kitakyushu?
August is the warmest month in Kitakyushu, with an average high of 29 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kitakyushu?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 9 °C (49 °F) and an average low of 6 °C (42 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kitakyushu?
July is the wettest month with about 340 mm (13.4 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 77 mm (3.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Kitakyushu?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are 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.