Sendai climate
Sendai (Japan) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 12 °C53 °F, and about 1,547 mm61 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Sendai climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 235 | −425 | −130 | 1264.9 |
| Feb | 337 | −425 | −131 | 813.2 |
| Mar | 745 | −130 | 338 | 933.7 |
| Apr | 1558 | 439 | 949 | 923.6 |
| May | 2169 | 1050 | 1560 | 943.7 |
| Jun | 2577 | 1559 | 2068 | 1164.6 |
| Jul | 2883 | 1967 | 2475 | 2048.0 |
| Aug | 2985 | 2069 | 2577 | 1686.6 |
| Sep | 2577 | 1662 | 2169 | 1425.6 |
| Oct | 1965 | 1050 | 1458 | 1546.0 |
| Nov | 1253 | 439 | 846 | 1275.0 |
| Dec | 541 | −131 | 236 | 1505.9 |
| Year | 2985 | −425 | 1253 | 1,54761 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 95% | 81% | 1.7 | 9:47 |
| Feb | 94% | 79% | 2.5 | 10:43 |
| Mar | 88% | 75% | 3.5 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 82% | 71% | 4.5 | 13:09 |
| May | 81% | 72% | 5.0 | 14:14 |
| Jun | 83% | 77% | 4.9 | 14:49 |
| Jul | 86% | 83% | 4.3 | 14:35 |
| Aug | 85% | 74% | 4.4 | 13:38 |
| Sep | 87% | 76% | 3.6 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 87% | 71% | 2.9 | 11:07 |
| Nov | 89% | 72% | 2.0 | 10:02 |
| Dec | 93% | 80% | 1.5 | 9:31 |
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 Sendai is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 29 °C85 °F and a low of 20 °C69 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 2 °C35 °F and lows −4 °C25 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 25.8 °C46.5 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,547 mm61 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 33% of the annual total. The wettest month is July (204 mm8.0 in), the driest is February (81 mm3.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 81% in May to 95% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 71%) are typical of April. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 2 km/h (1 mph) in July to 8 km/h (5 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Sendai
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and June: average highs of 21 °C69 °F to 25 °C77 °F with 94 mm3.7 in to 116 mm4.6 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 Sendai
- Winter (December–February) — highs 235 to 5 °C41 °F, lows −425 to −1 °C31 °F, about 119 mm4.7 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 745 to 21 °C69 °F, lows −130 to 10 °C50 °F, about 93 mm3.7 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 2577 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 1559 to 20 °C69 °F, about 163 mm6.4 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 25 °C77 °F, lows 439 to 16 °C62 °F, about 141 mm5.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Sendai compares
Compared with Saitama, about 283 km to the southwest, Sendai is on average 3.2 °C5.7 °F cooler and receives 7% more precipitation (1,547 mm61 in vs 1,449 mm57 in). The difference is largest in February (4.4 °C7.9 °F cooler).
Of the 111 places in Japan covered by World Climates, Sendai is the 96th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 72nd 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: Stamford (United States, Dfa), Staten Island (United States, Dfa) and Manhattan (United States, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Ōsaki 37 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,316 mm52 in
- Ishinomaki 41 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,316 mm52 in
- Yamagata 44 km · 10 °C51 °F · 1,363 mm54 in
- Fukushima 67 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,363 mm54 in
- Ichinoseki 76 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,411 mm56 in
- Oshu 101 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,411 mm56 in
- Tsuruoka 104 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,581 mm62 in
- Kōriyama 105 km · 12 °C53 °F · 1,302 mm51 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Sendai?
August is the warmest month in Sendai, with an average high of 29 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (69 °F).
What is the coldest month in Sendai?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 2 °C (35 °F) and an average low of -4 °C (25 °F).
When does it rain the most in Sendai?
July is the wettest month with about 204 mm (8.0 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 81 mm (3.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Sendai?
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 426 m, while Sendai lies at about 53 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.4 °C4.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.