Weather in Sapporo in January 2026
- January is usually the coldest month of the year in Sapporo;
Average weather
Average temperature in Sapporo in January
The expected average maximum temperature in January is -2°C with a maximum of +7°C and a minimum of -21°C.
The average maximum temperature goes down 14% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from +1°C to -3°C.
Is Sapporo warm or cold in January?
Sapporo is typically cold in January.
Maximum temperatures go down compared to the previous month from +1°C to -1°C. The minimum temperature also goes down from -5°C to -9°C.
Wear your winter warms as it will be cold. To save space, layer, and don’t forget gloves and a scarf.
January is the coldest month in Sapporo, here is the comparison with other months:
Climate in Sapporo in January
| December | January | February | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +1°C | -1°C | -1°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| -19°C | -25°C | -23°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +15°C | +8°C | +11°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 24 mm | 8 mm | 8 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 3 m/s | 2 m/s | 3 m/s | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 71% | 72% | 72% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1013 HPa | 1013 HPa | 1014 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 9 | 12 | 11 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 3 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 19 | 18 | 16 | ||||
January weather is still as ok as in December. It’s getting colder in January. From +1°C in the day, the average maximum temperature lowers to -1°C. As January arrives, the amount of rainfall goes down. On average, the rainfall volume decreases from 24 mm to 8 mm. Humidity rises from 71% to 72%. Winds are calmer in comparison to December, going down from 3 m/s to 2 m/s on average. The amount of sunny days stay about the same, averaging 0 sunny days during the month.
February brings much the same weather, it remains ok.
Wind
The average wind speed is 3 m/s getting up to 7 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Sapporo is gradually decreasing during January, going from 4 m/s to 2 m/s over the course of the month.
Snow
January is one of the snowiest months in Sapporo.
Here’s how January is compared with other months in the amount of snow, total mm:
How was the weather last January in Sapporo?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Sapporo in January has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1986 (+11°C) and the highest in 2023 (+14°C). The driest year was 1984 with only 543 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 1981 with 1357 mm.
FAQ
Is January a good time to visit Sapporo?
Can you sunbathe in Sapporo in January?
Is Sapporo rainy in January?
Is it sunny in Sapporo in January?
Other cities in Japan
Monthly weather in Sapporo
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Sapporo, based on historical hourly weather data from January 1, 1979, to December 31, 2023.
For past dates, we show actual recorded data at the location at that time. Forecasts are based on recorded weather during that day of the year, averaged over the total years for which we have records (unless stated otherwise). The daily temperature is the highest recorded temperature in the shadow during that day.
