Kobe climate
Kobe (Japan) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 17 °C62 °F, and about 1,526 mm60 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kobe climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 948 | 440 | 744 | 562.2 |
| Feb | 1050 | 540 | 745 | 712.8 |
| Mar | 1356 | 744 | 1050 | 1014.0 |
| Apr | 1864 | 1151 | 1457 | 1124.4 |
| May | 2271 | 1559 | 1865 | 1385.4 |
| Jun | 2577 | 1967 | 2272 | 1917.5 |
| Jul | 2883 | 2475 | 2679 | 2048.0 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2577 | 2781 | 1495.8 |
| Sep | 2781 | 2271 | 2476 | 1947.7 |
| Oct | 2272 | 1762 | 1967 | 1596.3 |
| Nov | 1762 | 1253 | 1458 | 793.1 |
| Dec | 1153 | 744 | 948 | 722.8 |
| Year | 3086 | 440 | 1762 | 1,52660 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77% | 70% | 2.3 | 10:04 |
| Feb | 76% | 69% | 3.0 | 10:53 |
| Mar | 75% | 65% | 4.0 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 76% | 64% | 4.8 | 13:01 |
| May | 79% | 67% | 5.3 | 13:58 |
| Jun | 83% | 79% | 4.8 | 14:28 |
| Jul | 86% | 73% | 4.9 | 14:16 |
| Aug | 83% | 62% | 5.2 | 13:27 |
| Sep | 80% | 68% | 4.1 | 12:20 |
| Oct | 77% | 63% | 3.3 | 11:15 |
| Nov | 76% | 60% | 2.6 | 10:18 |
| Dec | 76% | 65% | 2.1 | 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 Kobe is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 9 °C48 °F and lows 4 °C40 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 20.7 °C37.2 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,526 mm60 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 36% of the annual total. The wettest month is July (204 mm8.0 in), the driest is January (56 mm2.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 75% in March to 86% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 60%) are typical of November. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in June to 14 km/h (9 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.
Best time to visit Kobe
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and November: average highs of 17 °C62 °F to 22 °C71 °F with 79 mm3.1 in to 138 mm5.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is very wet (204 mm8.0 in) and humid (86% 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.
Kobe weather by month
- January9 °C48 °F / 4 °C40 °F
- February10 °C50 °F / 5 °C40 °F
- March13 °C56 °F / 7 °C44 °F
- April18 °C64 °F / 11 °C51 °F
- May22 °C71 °F / 15 °C59 °F
- June25 °C77 °F / 19 °C67 °F
- July28 °C83 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- August30 °C86 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- September27 °C81 °F / 22 °C71 °F
- October22 °C72 °F / 17 °C62 °F
- November17 °C62 °F / 12 °C53 °F
- December11 °C53 °F / 7 °C44 °F
What to pack for Kobe
- Winter (December–February) — highs 948 to 11 °C53 °F, lows 440 to 7 °C44 °F, about 66 mm2.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1356 to 22 °C71 °F, lows 744 to 15 °C59 °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.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2577 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1967 to 25 °C77 °F, about 181 mm7.1 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 1762 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 1253 to 22 °C71 °F, about 144 mm5.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Kobe compares
Compared with Osaka, about 29 km to the east, Kobe is on average 0.9 °C1.6 °F warmer and receives 13% less precipitation (1,526 mm60 in vs 1,753 mm69 in). The difference is largest in December (2.4 °C4.3 °F warmer).
Of the 111 places in Japan covered by World Climates, Kobe is the 28th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 75th 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), Chongming (China, Cfa) and Gijang (South Korea, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Akashi (pop. 303,601). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Kobe, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Sandachō 22 km · 14 °C57 °F · 1,553 mm61 in
- Osaka 29 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,753 mm69 in
- Hirakata 45 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,657 mm65 in
- Himeji 46 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,553 mm61 in
- Minato 53 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,825 mm72 in
- Kyoto 64 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,657 mm65 in
- Kusatsu 80 km · 14 °C58 °F · 1,674 mm66 in
- Tokushima 90 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,816 mm71 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kobe?
August is the warmest month in Kobe, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kobe?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 9 °C (48 °F) and an average low of 4 °C (40 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kobe?
July is the wettest month with about 204 mm (8.0 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 56 mm (2.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Kobe?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May and November.
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.