Tsuruoka climate
Tsuruoka (Japan) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 12 °C54 °F, and about 1,581 mm62 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Tsuruoka climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 236 | −229 | 032 | 1375.4 |
| Feb | 337 | −228 | 033 | 873.4 |
| Mar | 745 | 032 | 439 | 963.8 |
| Apr | 1458 | 541 | 1049 | 903.6 |
| May | 2170 | 1152 | 1661 | 923.6 |
| Jun | 2578 | 1660 | 2169 | 1144.5 |
| Jul | 2983 | 2068 | 2476 | 2078.1 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2171 | 2678 | 1676.6 |
| Sep | 2678 | 1763 | 2171 | 1385.4 |
| Oct | 1966 | 1152 | 1559 | 1526.0 |
| Nov | 1254 | 642 | 948 | 1365.3 |
| Dec | 642 | 133 | 338 | 1656.5 |
| Year | 3086 | −228 | 1254 | 1,58162 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 94% | 96% | 1.3 | 9:44 |
| Feb | 92% | 93% | 2.0 | 10:42 |
| Mar | 86% | 87% | 3.2 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 81% | 79% | 4.4 | 13:10 |
| May | 79% | 78% | 5.1 | 14:16 |
| Jun | 80% | 79% | 5.3 | 14:52 |
| Jul | 84% | 82% | 4.6 | 14:37 |
| Aug | 83% | 75% | 4.8 | 13:40 |
| Sep | 83% | 79% | 3.9 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 84% | 81% | 2.8 | 11:06 |
| Nov | 88% | 86% | 1.8 | 10:00 |
| Dec | 92% | 94% | 1.2 | 9:28 |
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 Tsuruoka is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 21 °C71 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 2 °C36 °F and lows −2 °C29 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 25.5 °C45.8 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,581 mm62 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 32% of the annual total. The wettest month is July (207 mm8.1 in), the driest is February (87 mm3.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 79% in May to 94% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 75%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 3 km/h (2 mph) in August to 9 km/h (5 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June.
Best time to visit Tsuruoka
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May: average highs of 21 °C70 °F to 21 °C70 °F with 92 mm3.6 in to 92 mm3.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 2 °C36 °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 Tsuruoka
- Winter (December–February) — highs 236 to 6 °C42 °F, lows −228 to 1 °C33 °F, about 130 mm5.1 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 °C70 °F, lows 032 to 11 °C52 °F, about 93 mm3.6 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 2578 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1660 to 21 °C71 °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 1254 to 26 °C78 °F, lows 642 to 17 °C63 °F, about 142 mm5.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Tsuruoka compares
Compared with Yamagata, about 72 km to the southeast, Tsuruoka is on average 2 °C3.7 °F warmer and receives 16% more precipitation (1,581 mm62 in vs 1,363 mm54 in). The difference is largest in January (2.5 °C4.5 °F warmer).
Of the 111 places in Japan covered by World Climates, Tsuruoka is the 86th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 67th 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: New York City (United States, Cfa), Brooklyn (United States, Cfa) and Staten Island (United States, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Sakata 22 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,767 mm70 in
- Yamagata 72 km · 10 °C51 °F · 1,363 mm54 in
- Ōsaki 101 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,316 mm52 in
- Sendai 104 km · 12 °C53 °F · 1,547 mm61 in
- Niigata 112 km · 15 °C58 °F · 1,702 mm67 in
- Akita 114 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,596 mm63 in
- Ichinoseki 116 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,411 mm56 in
- Fukushima 122 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,363 mm54 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Tsuruoka?
August is the warmest month in Tsuruoka, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (71 °F).
What is the coldest month in Tsuruoka?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 2 °C (36 °F) and an average low of -2 °C (29 °F).
When does it rain the most in Tsuruoka?
July is the wettest month with about 207 mm (8.1 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 87 mm (3.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Tsuruoka?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May.
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 421 m, while Tsuruoka lies at about 13 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.6 °C4.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.