Tsukuba climate
Tsukuba (Japan) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 15 °C59 °F, and about 1,519 mm60 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Tsukuba climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 846 | −228 | 337 | 642.5 | 25 |
| Feb | 948 | −130 | 439 | 582.3 | 20 |
| Mar | 1356 | 235 | 846 | 1024.0 | 10 |
| Apr | 1966 | 744 | 1355 | 1214.7 | 0 |
| May | 2475 | 1355 | 1865 | 1365.4 | 0 |
| Jun | 2780 | 1763 | 2272 | 1616.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 3087 | 2170 | 2679 | 1576.2 | 0 |
| Aug | 3289 | 2272 | 2781 | 1425.6 | 0 |
| Sep | 2882 | 1966 | 2374 | 1987.8 | 0 |
| Oct | 2272 | 1254 | 1763 | 2198.6 | 0 |
| Nov | 1661 | 643 | 1152 | 953.7 | 0 |
| Dec | 1051 | 033 | 542 | 672.6 | 13 |
| Year | 3289 | −228 | 1559 | 1,51960 | 69 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 75% | 65% | 2.7 | 9:57 |
| Feb | 75% | 69% | 3.3 | 10:49 |
| Mar | 74% | 67% | 4.1 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 74% | 68% | 4.8 | 13:04 |
| May | 76% | 71% | 5.1 | 14:04 |
| Jun | 79% | 80% | 4.8 | 14:36 |
| Jul | 81% | 79% | 4.7 | 14:23 |
| Aug | 79% | 69% | 4.8 | 13:31 |
| Sep | 81% | 74% | 3.8 | 12:21 |
| Oct | 81% | 73% | 3.0 | 11:12 |
| Nov | 79% | 68% | 2.5 | 10:12 |
| Dec | 77% | 66% | 2.3 | 9:43 |
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 Tsukuba is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 32 °C89 °F and a low of 22 °C72 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 8 °C46 °F and lows −2 °C28 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 24.1 °C43.5 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,519 mm60 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is August–October, which brings 37% of the annual total. The wettest month is October (219 mm8.6 in), the driest is February (58 mm2.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 74% in March to 81% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 65%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in November to 11 km/h (7 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.7 hours in December to 14.6 hours in June.
Best time to visit Tsukuba
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and November: average highs of 16 °C61 °F to 24 °C75 °F with 95 mm3.7 in to 136 mm5.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 8 °C46 °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 Tsukuba
- Winter (December–February) — highs 846 to 10 °C51 °F, lows −228 to 0 °C33 °F, about 63 mm2.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1356 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 235 to 13 °C55 °F, about 120 mm4.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2780 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 1763 to 22 °C72 °F, about 153 mm6.0 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 1661 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 643 to 19 °C66 °F, about 171 mm6.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Tsukuba compares
Compared with Mito, about 42 km to the northeast, Tsukuba has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in July (1.8 °C3.2 °F warmer).
Of the 111 places in Japan covered by World Climates, Tsukuba is the 65th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 77th 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: Ulsan (South Korea, Cfa), Virginia Beach (United States, Cfa) and Norfolk (United States, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Tsuchiura (pop. 144,399). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Tsukuba, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Abiko 26 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,519 mm60 in
- Koga 38 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,519 mm60 in
- Narita 38 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,543 mm61 in
- Mito 42 km · 15 °C58 °F · 1,479 mm58 in
- Saitama 46 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,449 mm57 in
- Kawaguchi 48 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,519 mm60 in
- Chiba 54 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,694 mm67 in
- Utsunomiya 58 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,474 mm58 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Tsukuba?
August is the warmest month in Tsukuba, with an average high of 32 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (72 °F).
What is the coldest month in Tsukuba?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 8 °C (46 °F) and an average low of -2 °C (28 °F).
When does it rain the most in Tsukuba?
October is the wettest month with about 219 mm (8.6 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 58 mm (2.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Tsukuba?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May and November.
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.