Kyoto climate
Kyoto (Japan) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 15 °C59 °F, and about 1,657 mm65 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kyoto climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 744 | 032 | 438 | 973.8 |
| Feb | 847 | 133 | 440 | 923.6 |
| Mar | 1254 | 337 | 846 | 1144.5 |
| Apr | 1865 | 846 | 1355 | 1194.7 |
| May | 2373 | 1355 | 1864 | 1405.5 |
| Jun | 2679 | 1864 | 2272 | 1787.0 |
| Jul | 3086 | 2373 | 2679 | 2108.3 |
| Aug | 3187 | 2374 | 2781 | 1495.9 |
| Sep | 2781 | 1967 | 2374 | 1927.6 |
| Oct | 2171 | 1356 | 1763 | 1616.3 |
| Nov | 1660 | 745 | 1253 | 963.8 |
| Dec | 1049 | 236 | 643 | 1094.3 |
| Year | 3187 | 032 | 1559 | 1,65765 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 85% | 83% | 1.8 | 10:02 |
| Feb | 83% | 80% | 2.4 | 10:52 |
| Mar | 81% | 73% | 3.6 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 79% | 69% | 4.6 | 13:02 |
| May | 80% | 70% | 5.1 | 13:59 |
| Jun | 84% | 80% | 4.8 | 14:30 |
| Jul | 86% | 77% | 4.7 | 14:17 |
| Aug | 84% | 66% | 5.0 | 13:28 |
| Sep | 84% | 73% | 3.9 | 12:21 |
| Oct | 84% | 68% | 3.1 | 11:14 |
| Nov | 84% | 70% | 2.2 | 10:16 |
| Dec | 85% | 78% | 1.7 | 9:49 |
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 Kyoto is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 31 °C87 °F and a low of 23 °C74 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 7 °C44 °F and lows 0 °C32 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 23.4 °C42.2 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,657 mm65 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 (210 mm8.3 in), the driest is February (92 mm3.6 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 79% in April to 86% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 66%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in August to 11 km/h (7 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 12 cm).
Best time to visit Kyoto
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and October: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 23 °C73 °F with 119 mm4.7 in to 161 mm6.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 7 °C44 °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 Kyoto
- Winter (December–February) — highs 744 to 10 °C49 °F, lows 032 to 2 °C36 °F, about 99 mm3.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1254 to 23 °C73 °F, lows 337 to 13 °C55 °F, about 124 mm4.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2679 to 31 °C87 °F, lows 1864 to 23 °C74 °F, about 179 mm7.0 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 1660 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 745 to 19 °C67 °F, about 150 mm5.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Kyoto compares
Compared with Osaka, about 43 km to the southwest, Kyoto is on average 0.8 °C1.4 °F cooler and receives 5% less precipitation (1,657 mm65 in vs 1,753 mm69 in). The difference is largest in March (0.9 °C1.7 °F cooler).
Of the 111 places in Japan covered by World Climates, Kyoto is the 56th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 59th 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 Ōtsu (pop. 345,070). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Kyoto, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Kusatsu 19 km · 14 °C58 °F · 1,674 mm66 in
- Hirakata 25 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,657 mm65 in
- Osaka 43 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,753 mm69 in
- Sandachō 50 km · 14 °C57 °F · 1,553 mm61 in
- Hikone 52 km · 14 °C58 °F · 1,865 mm73 in
- Nagahama 62 km · 15 °C58 °F · 1,865 mm73 in
- Kobe 64 km · 17 °C62 °F · 1,526 mm60 in
- Tsu 77 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,940 mm76 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kyoto?
August is the warmest month in Kyoto, with an average high of 31 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (74 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kyoto?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 7 °C (44 °F) and an average low of 0 °C (32 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kyoto?
July is the wettest month with about 210 mm (8.3 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 92 mm (3.6 in).
What is the best time to visit Kyoto?
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 251 m, while Kyoto lies at about 50 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.