Okinawa climate
Okinawa (Japan) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 23 °C73 °F, and about 1,691 mm67 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Okinawa climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1965 | 1762 | 1864 | 692.7 |
| Feb | 1966 | 1762 | 1864 | 592.3 |
| Mar | 2068 | 1864 | 1966 | 943.7 |
| Apr | 2271 | 2068 | 2169 | 1405.5 |
| May | 2476 | 2373 | 2374 | 2218.7 |
| Jun | 2780 | 2578 | 2679 | 31112 |
| Jul | 2983 | 2882 | 2883 | 1415.5 |
| Aug | 2984 | 2882 | 2883 | 1787.0 |
| Sep | 2882 | 2780 | 2781 | 1917.5 |
| Oct | 2678 | 2576 | 2577 | 1275.0 |
| Nov | 2374 | 2271 | 2373 | 873.4 |
| Dec | 2069 | 1865 | 1967 | 722.8 |
| Year | 2984 | 1762 | 2373 | 1,69167 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 75% | 85% | 2.3 | 10:39 |
| Feb | 77% | 82% | 2.9 | 11:14 |
| Mar | 77% | 81% | 3.7 | 11:56 |
| Apr | 79% | 82% | 4.4 | 12:45 |
| May | 84% | 80% | 4.8 | 13:26 |
| Jun | 89% | 79% | 5.3 | 13:47 |
| Jul | 84% | 59% | 6.4 | 13:38 |
| Aug | 82% | 59% | 5.9 | 13:03 |
| Sep | 80% | 63% | 5.1 | 12:16 |
| Oct | 77% | 67% | 4.0 | 11:29 |
| Nov | 76% | 78% | 2.9 | 10:49 |
| Dec | 75% | 84% | 2.3 | 10:30 |
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 Okinawa is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 29 °C84 °F and a low of 28 °C82 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 19 °C65 °F and lows 17 °C62 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 10.7 °C19.3 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,691 mm67 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is May–July, which brings 40% of the annual total. The wettest month is June (311 mm12 in), the driest is February (59 mm2.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 75% in December to 89% in June. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 59%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 17 km/h (10 mph) in May to 24 km/h (15 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 10.5 hours in December to 13.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Okinawa
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are November–February: average highs of 19 °C65 °F to 23 °C74 °F with 59 mm2.3 in to 87 mm3.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is June, which is very wet (311 mm12 in) and humid (89% 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 Okinawa
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1965 to 20 °C69 °F, lows 1762 to 18 °C65 °F, about 67 mm2.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 2068 to 24 °C76 °F, lows 1864 to 23 °C73 °F, about 152 mm6.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2780 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 2578 to 28 °C82 °F, about 210 mm8.3 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 2374 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 2271 to 27 °C80 °F, about 135 mm5.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Okinawa compares
Compared with Naha, about 18 km to the southwest, Okinawa is on average 1 °C1.8 °F cooler and receives 7% more precipitation (1,691 mm67 in vs 1,580 mm62 in). The difference is largest in January (1.2 °C2.2 °F cooler).
Of the 111 places in Japan covered by World Climates, Okinawa is the 3rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 57th 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: Keelung (Taiwan, Cfa), Taipei (Taiwan, Cfa) and Hsinchu (Taiwan, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Urasoe (pop. 115,690) and Ginowan (pop. 100,125). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Okinawa, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Uruma 7 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,713 mm67 in
- Naha 18 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,580 mm62 in
- Keelung 622 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,946 mm77 in
- Kagoshima 640 km · 19 °C66 °F · 2,612 mm103 in
- Taipei 645 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,916 mm75 in
- Taoyuan 669 km · 22 °C72 °F · 1,916 mm75 in
- Miyakonojō 679 km · 18 °C64 °F · 2,642 mm104 in
- Taizhou 679 km · 18 °C65 °F · 1,547 mm61 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Okinawa?
August is the warmest month in Okinawa, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 28 °C (82 °F).
What is the coldest month in Okinawa?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 19 °C (65 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (62 °F).
When does it rain the most in Okinawa?
June is the wettest month with about 311 mm (12.3 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 59 mm (2.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Okinawa?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are November–February.
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 4 m, while Okinawa lies at about 112 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −0.7 °C1.3 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.