), which is located to the east of Taiwan, and administratively is part of Okinawa prefecture. Other islands of the Miyako archipelago are Irabu, Minna, Tarama, Kurima, Ikema, Ogami, and Shimoji. Together with the Yaeyama Islands (see
), the Miyako Islands are part of the Sakishima Islands, in their turn belonging to the southern Ryukyus. The latitude of these islands is very low, a bit to the north of the Tropic of Cancer. Near the islands is a coral reef.
is very mild, the sky is often cloudy, and periods of bad weather, with wind and rain, are quite common. Every now and then, especially in January, there can be very cool days, with highs around 16 °C (61 °F) or less and lows around 10 °C (50 °F) or less. In January 2016, there was a day with a minimum of 8 °C (46 °F) and a maximum of 10.5 °C (51 °F).
is muggy, with quite frequent and sometimes abundant rains. The first part of the rainy season, called plum rains (
), begins one month earlier than on the main islands of Japan, so it occurs in May and June, however, between one shower and another, the sun can come out, especially in June. In July, there is a relative pause, so the rains decrease and sunshine becomes pretty frequent.
In the second part of summer (August, September and early October), the rains increase again, but the amount of sunshine remains generally decent, at least until September. If all goes well, a week can pass without rain, otherwise, there may be periods of bad weather, or even typhoons.
In fact, from June to October, with a peak from August to early October, Miyako can be affected by
, the tropical cyclones of Southeast Asia, which can bring strong winds and torrential rains.
in Miyako is never cold, in fact, the water temperature reaches a minimum of 23 °C (73 °F) in January and February, so if you want, you can try to swim even in winter, while it becomes very warm in summer.
It is difficult to find the best time to visit Miyakojima, because there is no dry and sunny period. However, in general you can choose the period from November to April. A typhoon can still pass until mid-November, although this happens rarely and with generally modest effects. From mid-December to mid-March, there can be cool days, with highs of 15 °C (59 °F) or less.
Since there is a pause between the two rainy periods (May-June and August-September), in Miyakojima the best month for a beach holiday is July, though afternoon thunderstorms are still possible, in addition to the passage of tropical storms and typhoons over the island.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
18.2 °C, with a minimum of
15.9 °C and a maximum of
20.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
11.5 °C. However, it dropped to
7.5 °C in January 2016.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25 °C. However, it reached
27 °C in January 2020.
Precipitation amounts to
130 mm, distributed over 19 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 3 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 26% of the time.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
17.7 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
23 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
February is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
18.6 °C, with a minimum of
16.1 °C and a maximum of
21.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12 °C. However, it dropped to
9 °C in February 2016.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25.5 °C. However, it reached
27.6 °C in February 2010.
Precipitation amounts to
140 mm, distributed over 17 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 3 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 26% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
17.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
23 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
March is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
20 °C, with a minimum of
17.4 °C and a maximum of
22.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
13 °C. However, it dropped to
9.2 °C in March 2005.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
27 °C. However, it reached
28.6 °C in March 1998.
Precipitation amounts to
140 mm, distributed over 18 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 30% of the time.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
24 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
April is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
22.5 °C, with a minimum of
19.9 °C and a maximum of
25.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
15.5 °C. However, it dropped to
10 °C in April 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
28.5 °C. However, it reached
30.2 °C in April 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
160.3 mm, distributed over 16 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 32% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
15.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
25 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
May is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
25.1 °C, with a minimum of
22.6 °C and a maximum of
27.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
19 °C. However, it dropped to
16 °C in May 2013.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
30.5 °C. However, it reached
32 °C in May 2004.
Precipitation amounts to
210 mm, distributed over 18 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 36% of the time.
The average humidity is 81%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.7 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
26 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
June is generally a very hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
27.9 °C, with a minimum of
25.5 °C and a maximum of
30.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
22 °C. However, it dropped to
18.9 °C in June 2006.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32.5 °C. However, it reached
34 °C in June 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
185 mm, distributed over 18 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 40 minutes. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 47% of the time.
The average humidity is 84%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16.4 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
28 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
July, the hottest month of the year, is generally a very hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
29.1 °C, with a minimum of
26.4 °C and a maximum of
31.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
24 °C. However, it dropped to
20 °C in July 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
33.5 °C. However, it reached
35 °C in July 2016.
Precipitation amounts to
130 mm, distributed over 17 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 59% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
15.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
29 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
August is generally a very hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
28.8 °C, with a minimum of
26.1 °C and a maximum of
31.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
24 °C. However, it dropped to
23 °C in August 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
33 °C. However, it reached
35 °C in August 2013.
Precipitation amounts to
265 mm, distributed over 19 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 55% of the time.
The average humidity is 81%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
15.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
29 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
September is generally a very hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
27.7 °C, with a minimum of
25.2 °C and a maximum of
30.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
22.5 °C. However, it dropped to
19.8 °C in September 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32 °C. However, it reached
34 °C in September 2017.
Precipitation amounts to
230 mm, distributed over 17 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 50% of the time.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16.8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
29 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
October is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
25.6 °C, with a minimum of
23.4 °C and a maximum of
27.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
20.5 °C. However, it dropped to
18 °C in October 2003.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
30.5 °C. However, it reached
32.4 °C in October 2009.
Precipitation amounts to
155 mm, distributed over 17 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 43% of the time.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
19.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
28 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
November is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
23.1 °C, with a minimum of
20.9 °C and a maximum of
25.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
17.5 °C. However, it dropped to
13 °C in November 2013.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
28.5 °C. However, it reached
30.3 °C in November 2008.
Precipitation amounts to
145 mm, distributed over 18 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 34% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
19.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
26 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
December is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
19.9 °C, with a minimum of
17.7 °C and a maximum of
22.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
13.5 °C. However, it dropped to
10 °C in December 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
26.5 °C. However, it reached
29 °C in December 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
130 mm, distributed over 19 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 35 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 31% of the time.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
19 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
25 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.