Matsue climate
Matsue (Japan) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 16 °C61 °F, and about 1,740 mm68 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Matsue climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 846 | 440 | 643 | 1325.2 | 2 |
| Feb | 947 | 440 | 644 | 1084.3 | 1 |
| Mar | 1153 | 644 | 948 | 1244.9 | 0 |
| Apr | 1661 | 1151 | 1356 | 1164.6 | 0 |
| May | 2170 | 1560 | 1865 | 1244.9 | 0 |
| Jun | 2576 | 2067 | 2272 | 1817.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 2882 | 2475 | 2679 | 2218.7 | 0 |
| Aug | 3085 | 2578 | 2781 | 1254.9 | 0 |
| Sep | 2679 | 2272 | 2475 | 2048.0 | 0 |
| Oct | 2170 | 1762 | 1966 | 1385.4 | 0 |
| Nov | 1661 | 1253 | 1457 | 1114.4 | 0 |
| Dec | 1051 | 744 | 948 | 1546.0 | 0 |
| Year | 3085 | 440 | 1661 | 1,74068 | 2 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77% | 89% | 1.7 | 10:00 |
| Feb | 76% | 84% | 2.4 | 10:51 |
| Mar | 75% | 76% | 3.6 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 75% | 69% | 4.7 | 13:03 |
| May | 77% | 69% | 5.2 | 14:01 |
| Jun | 80% | 80% | 4.9 | 14:32 |
| Jul | 84% | 79% | 4.6 | 14:20 |
| Aug | 80% | 71% | 4.9 | 13:29 |
| Sep | 79% | 76% | 3.8 | 12:21 |
| Oct | 75% | 72% | 3.2 | 11:13 |
| Nov | 75% | 77% | 2.2 | 10:14 |
| Dec | 77% | 86% | 1.6 | 9:46 |
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 Matsue is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 30 °C85 °F and a low of 25 °C78 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 8 °C46 °F and lows 4 °C40 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 21.4 °C38.5 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,740 mm68 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 (221 mm8.7 in), the driest is February (108 mm4.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 75% in April to 84% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 69%) are typical of April. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 13 km/h (8 mph) in June to 21 km/h (13 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in January, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 11 cm).
Best time to visit Matsue
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and October: average highs of 21 °C70 °F to 21 °C70 °F with 124 mm4.9 in to 138 mm5.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 8 °C46 °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 Matsue
- Winter (December–February) — highs 846 to 10 °C51 °F, lows 440 to 7 °C44 °F, about 131 mm5.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1153 to 21 °C70 °F, lows 644 to 15 °C60 °F, about 121 mm4.8 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 2576 to 30 °C85 °F, lows 2067 to 25 °C78 °F, about 176 mm6.9 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 26 °C79 °F, lows 1253 to 22 °C72 °F, about 151 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 Matsue compares
Compared with Fukuyama, about 115 km to the south, Matsue is on average 0.3 °C0.6 °F warmer and receives 14% more precipitation (1,740 mm68 in vs 1,526 mm60 in). The difference is largest in December (1.7 °C3.1 °F warmer).
Of the 111 places in Japan covered by World Climates, Matsue is the 35th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 49th 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: Sochi (Russia, Cfa), Chongming (China, Cfa) and Rize (Turkey, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Yonago (pop. 148,720). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Matsue, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Izumo 29 km · 17 °C62 °F · 1,793 mm71 in
- Tsuyama 99 km · 14 °C58 °F · 1,488 mm59 in
- Tottori-shi 107 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,806 mm71 in
- Fukuyama 115 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,526 mm60 in
- Okayama 123 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,466 mm58 in
- Hiroshima 132 km · 15 °C60 °F · 1,556 mm61 in
- Kure 146 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,621 mm64 in
- Takamatsu 157 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,466 mm58 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Matsue?
August is the warmest month in Matsue, with an average high of 30 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (78 °F).
What is the coldest month in Matsue?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 8 °C (46 °F) and an average low of 4 °C (40 °F).
When does it rain the most in Matsue?
July is the wettest month with about 221 mm (8.7 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 108 mm (4.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Matsue?
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 134 m, while Matsue lies at about 8 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.8 °C1.5 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.