Sapporo climate
Sapporo (Japan) has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). The average temperature over the year is 8 °C46 °F, and about 1,274 mm50 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Sapporo climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −228 | −817 | −523 | 1034.1 |
| Feb | −229 | −817 | −523 | 843.3 |
| Mar | 236 | −524 | −130 | 722.8 |
| Apr | 949 | 134 | 541 | 622.5 |
| May | 1762 | 744 | 1253 | 742.9 |
| Jun | 2170 | 1253 | 1762 | 823.2 |
| Jul | 2577 | 1661 | 2069 | 1214.8 |
| Aug | 2678 | 1864 | 2271 | 1606.3 |
| Sep | 2271 | 1456 | 1864 | 1375.4 |
| Oct | 1559 | 744 | 1152 | 1194.7 |
| Nov | 744 | 133 | 439 | 1295.1 |
| Dec | 031 | −622 | −327 | 1305.1 |
| Year | 2678 | −817 | 846 | 1,27450 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 94% | 92% | 1.2 | 9:20 |
| Feb | 92% | 88% | 1.9 | 10:28 |
| Mar | 91% | 82% | 3.1 | 11:48 |
| Apr | 84% | 72% | 4.4 | 13:21 |
| May | 82% | 69% | 5.2 | 14:38 |
| Jun | 84% | 72% | 5.2 | 15:21 |
| Jul | 86% | 75% | 4.9 | 15:04 |
| Aug | 86% | 74% | 4.5 | 13:56 |
| Sep | 85% | 71% | 3.7 | 12:26 |
| Oct | 84% | 75% | 2.5 | 10:57 |
| Nov | 88% | 85% | 1.4 | 9:39 |
| Dec | 93% | 92% | 1.0 | 9:01 |
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 Sapporo is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 26 °C78 °F and a low of 18 °C64 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −2 °C28 °F and lows −8 °C17 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 26.9 °C48.4 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,274 mm50 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 33% of the annual total. The wettest month is August (160 mm6.3 in), the driest is April (62 mm2.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 82% in May to 94% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 69%) are typical of May. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (2 mph) in July to 10 km/h (6 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.0 hours in December to 15.3 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in November–April, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in February, about 66 cm).
Best time to visit Sapporo
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June: average highs of 21 °C70 °F to 21 °C70 °F with 82 mm3.2 in to 82 mm3.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −2 °C28 °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.
Sapporo weather by month
- January−2 °C28 °F / −8 °C17 °F
- February−2 °C29 °F / −8 °C17 °F
- March2 °C36 °F / −5 °C24 °F
- April9 °C49 °F / 1 °C34 °F
- May17 °C62 °F / 7 °C44 °F
- June21 °C70 °F / 12 °C53 °F
- July25 °C77 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- August26 °C78 °F / 18 °C64 °F
- September22 °C71 °F / 14 °C56 °F
- October15 °C59 °F / 7 °C44 °F
- November7 °C44 °F / 1 °C33 °F
- December0 °C31 °F / −6 °C22 °F
What to pack for Sapporo
- Winter (December–February) — highs −228 to 0 °C31 °F, lows −817 to −6 °C22 °F, about 106 mm4.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots, shoes with good grip, as frost is common and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 236 to 17 °C62 °F, lows −524 to 7 °C44 °F, about 70 mm2.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2170 to 26 °C78 °F, lows 1253 to 18 °C64 °F, about 121 mm4.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 744 to 22 °C71 °F, lows 133 to 14 °C56 °F, about 128 mm5.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Sapporo compares
Of the 111 places in Japan covered by World Climates, Sapporo is the 107th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 104th 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: Manchester (United States, Dfb), Kingston (Canada, Dfb) and Worcester (United States, Dfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Ebetsu (pop. 133,953) and Otaru (pop. 115,333). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Sapporo, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Tomakomai 52 km · 9 °C48 °F · 1,226 mm48 in
- Asahikawa 113 km · 7 °C44 °F · 1,044 mm41 in
- Obihiro 152 km · 7 °C45 °F · 1,047 mm41 in
- Hakodate 152 km · 10 °C49 °F · 1,202 mm47 in
- Kitami 221 km · 7 °C44 °F · 937 mm37 in
- Kushiro 246 km · 7 °C45 °F · 1,049 mm41 in
- Aomori 255 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,412 mm56 in
- Hirosaki 284 km · 10 °C51 °F · 1,478 mm58 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Sapporo?
August is the warmest month in Sapporo, with an average high of 26 °C (78 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (64 °F).
What is the coldest month in Sapporo?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -2 °C (28 °F) and an average low of -8 °C (17 °F).
When does it rain the most in Sapporo?
August is the wettest month with about 160 mm (6.3 in) of precipitation; April is the driest with about 62 mm (2.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Sapporo?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are 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 279 m, while Sapporo lies at about 26 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.6 °C3 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.