Oshu climate
Oshu (Japan) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 1,411 mm56 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Oshu climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 235 | −522 | −229 | 823.2 |
| Feb | 337 | −523 | −130 | 562.2 |
| Mar | 745 | −229 | 337 | 873.4 |
| Apr | 1458 | 338 | 948 | 1054.1 |
| May | 2068 | 949 | 1558 | 1084.3 |
| Jun | 2475 | 1458 | 1966 | 1224.8 |
| Jul | 2781 | 1966 | 2373 | 1887.4 |
| Aug | 2883 | 2068 | 2476 | 1626.4 |
| Sep | 2476 | 1661 | 2068 | 1485.8 |
| Oct | 1865 | 948 | 1457 | 1505.9 |
| Nov | 1253 | 337 | 745 | 973.8 |
| Dec | 541 | −228 | 134 | 1034.1 |
| Year | 2883 | −522 | 1152 | 1,41156 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 91% | 70% | 2.0 | 9:42 |
| Feb | 89% | 72% | 2.7 | 10:40 |
| Mar | 84% | 71% | 3.6 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 81% | 69% | 4.6 | 13:11 |
| May | 81% | 71% | 5.0 | 14:18 |
| Jun | 84% | 75% | 5.0 | 14:54 |
| Jul | 86% | 81% | 4.4 | 14:39 |
| Aug | 86% | 74% | 4.3 | 13:41 |
| Sep | 86% | 74% | 3.7 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 86% | 67% | 2.9 | 11:06 |
| Nov | 88% | 66% | 2.1 | 9:58 |
| Dec | 90% | 71% | 1.7 | 9:26 |
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 Oshu is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 28 °C83 °F and a low of 20 °C68 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 2 °C35 °F and lows −5 °C22 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 25.9 °C46.7 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,411 mm56 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 35% of the annual total. The wettest month is July (188 mm7.4 in), the driest is February (56 mm2.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 81% in April to 91% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 66%) are typical of November. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (3 mph) in August to 10 km/h (6 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.4 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 18 cm).
Best time to visit Oshu
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and June: average highs of 20 °C68 °F to 24 °C75 °F with 108 mm4.3 in to 122 mm4.8 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 2 °C35 °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 Oshu
- Winter (December–February) — highs 235 to 5 °C41 °F, lows −522 to −2 °C28 °F, about 81 mm3.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 745 to 20 °C68 °F, lows −229 to 9 °C49 °F, about 100 mm3.9 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 2475 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 1458 to 20 °C68 °F, about 158 mm6.2 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 1253 to 24 °C76 °F, lows 337 to 16 °C61 °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 Oshu compares
Compared with Ichinoseki, about 25 km to the south, Oshu has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation.
Of the 111 places in Japan covered by World Climates, Oshu is the 99th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 93rd 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: Manhattan (United States, Dfa), Stamford (United States, Dfa) and New Haven (United States, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Ichinoseki 25 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,411 mm56 in
- Morioka 62 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,384 mm54 in
- Ōsaki 64 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,316 mm52 in
- Ishinomaki 81 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,316 mm52 in
- Sendai 101 km · 12 °C53 °F · 1,547 mm61 in
- Akita 111 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,596 mm63 in
- Sakata 116 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,767 mm70 in
- Yamagata 122 km · 10 °C51 °F · 1,363 mm54 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Oshu?
August is the warmest month in Oshu, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (68 °F).
What is the coldest month in Oshu?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 2 °C (35 °F) and an average low of -5 °C (22 °F).
When does it rain the most in Oshu?
July is the wettest month with about 188 mm (7.4 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 56 mm (2.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Oshu?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and June.
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 241 m, while Oshu lies at about 36 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.