Sapporo weather in January
In January, Sapporo has an average high of −2 °C28 °F and an average low of −8 °C17 °F, with about 103 mm4.1 in of precipitation. January is the coldest month of the year and ranks 7th for precipitation.
How January compares with other months
Compared with December, January is 2.3 °C4.2 °F cooler on average and drier by 27 mm1.0 in. Compared with February, January is about the same temperature and wetter by 20 mm0.8 in. Daylight lasts about 9.3 hours around the middle of the month. Average relative humidity is 94% and the average cloud amount 92%.
Is January a good time to visit Sapporo?
January is not among the most comfortable months by our comfort score: it is cool (average high −2 °C28 °F), nights are cold (average low −8 °C17 °F) and it is fairly wet (103 mm4.1 in). The most comfortable months in Sapporo are June.
What to wear in January
For Sapporo in January, 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.
January in nearby places
| Place | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sapporo | −228 | −817 | 1034.1 |
| Tomakomai | 031 | −523 | 662.6 |
| Asahikawa | −424 | −1113 | 642.5 |
| Obihiro | −327 | −1210 | 471.9 |
| Hakodate | 032 | −326 | 823.2 |
| Kitami | −425 | −1113 | 512.0 |
| Kushiro | −229 | −817 | 401.6 |
| Aomori | 134 | −228 | 1144.5 |
| Hirosaki | 032 | −524 | 1074.2 |
Nearby places that are more than 1 °C1.8 °F warmer in January: Tomakomai, Hakodate, Aomori and Hirosaki; cooler: Asahikawa, Obihiro and Kitami.
Other months in Sapporo
- 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
Frequently asked questions
How warm is Sapporo in January?
In January the average high in Sapporo is -2 °C (28 °F) and the average low is -8 °C (17 °F).
Does it rain a lot in Sapporo in January?
On average about 103 mm (4.1 in) of precipitation falls in January; it ranks 7th of the 12 months.
Is January the warmest month in Sapporo?
No. The warmest month in Sapporo is August, with an average high of 26 °C (78 °F). The coldest month is February, with an average low of -8 °C (17 °F).
How long is the day in Sapporo in January?
In the middle of January the day in Sapporo lasts about 9.3 hours from sunrise to sunset. The value is calculated from the position of the city and the sun.
How humid is Sapporo in January?
The average relative humidity in January is about 94%. This is a long-term average for the whole day.
How cloudy is Sapporo in January?
On average about 92% of the sky is covered by cloud in January. This is the mean cloud amount from satellite data, not the number of sunny days.
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.