The climate of Nagasaki, a Japanese city located on the west coast of Kyushu (the southernmost of the major Japanese islands), is
, with quite mild winters and hot, moist, and rainy summers. Like the rest of Japan, the city is affected by the
: in winter, the northwest cold currents will prevail, while in summer, they will be replaced by hot and humid currents of tropical origin.
The city is located at a low latitude (at the 32rd parallel), but close enough to the Asian continent to receive cold air masses in winter, which are able to lower the temperature to some extent.
, the sky is often cloudy, as is common on the Japanese western side; there are fairly mild periods, with highs above 10 °C (50 °F), alternating with cold periods, with wind and rain, highs around 5/7 °C (41/45 °F) or less, and possible falls of sleet or snow. Snowfalls, however, are generally light, as are nocturnal frosts.
are hot and humid; there can be periods of good weather, with maximum temperatures around 35 °C (95 °F), tropical nights and high humidity, but also periods of bad weather due to the summer monsoon. August is the hottest month, both because of the thermal inertia of the sea and because of the lower frequency of periods of bad weather.
is abundant, in fact, it amounts to 1,900 millimeters (75 inches) per year. Winter is the driest season, but only in quantity. The rainiest months are June and July, ie the first period of the rainy season (called
), which is particularly intense in southern Japan, especially on the west coast where Nagasaki is located: sometimes, the rains can be torrential. In the southwest of Japan, autumn is a decent season, and already in October, it typically doesn't rain much.
in Nagasaki is not very good, however, there are two relative maxima, one in spring (April-May), and the other in August, after the Baiu rains. In October too, after the summer rains, the amount of sunshine increases a little.
in Nagasaki is cold but not impossible for the more daring; it is warm enough for swimming, with a temperature of 23 °C (73 °F) or more, from July to October, and it becomes pleasantly warm in August.
From June to October (but especially from August to early October), Nagasaki may be affected by
The best times to visit Nagasaki are spring and autumn, and particularly from mid-April to mid-May and from mid-October to mid-November. In autumn, the rains are rarer, but the days are shorter.
in Nagasaki reaches its peak, with variations depending on the year, around March 31. About 8-9 days pass between the start and the peak of the flowering. Even though in some years it can get a little cold, with highs around 12 °C (54 °F), you can also take advantage of this period.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
7.1 °C, with a minimum of
4.1 °C and a maximum of
10 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-0.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-4 °C in January 2016.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
16 °C. However, it reached
20 °C in January 2017.
Precipitation amounts to
65 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 32% of the time.
The average humidity is 66%.
The average wind speed is of
8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
18.3 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.
February is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
7.9 °C, with a minimum of
4.5 °C and a maximum of
11.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
0 °C. However, it dropped to
-3 °C in February 2012.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18 °C. However, it reached
22 °C in February 2010.
Precipitation amounts to
85 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 39% of the time.
The average humidity is 65%.
The average wind speed is of
9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
17.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
March is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
11.1 °C, with a minimum of
7.5 °C and a maximum of
14.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
1.5 °C. However, it dropped to
0 °C in March 2001.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
21 °C. However, it reached
24 °C in March 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
125 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 40% of the time.
The average humidity is 65%.
The average wind speed is of
9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
17.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
April is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
15.8 °C, with a minimum of
12.1 °C and a maximum of
19.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
6 °C. However, it dropped to
3 °C in April 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25 °C. However, it reached
28 °C in April 1998.
Precipitation amounts to
155 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 45% of the time.
The average humidity is 65%.
The average wind speed is of
9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
18.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.
May is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
20.2 °C, with a minimum of
16.6 °C and a maximum of
23.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12 °C. However, it dropped to
9 °C in May 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
28.5 °C. However, it reached
32 °C in May 2014.
Precipitation amounts to
160 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 43% of the time.
The average humidity is 68%.
The average wind speed is of
9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
20.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.
June is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
23.6 °C, with a minimum of
20.9 °C and a maximum of
26.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
17 °C. However, it dropped to
15 °C in June 1992.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
30.5 °C. However, it reached
36 °C in June 2004.
Precipitation amounts to
335 mm, distributed over 14 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 20 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 31% of the time.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
22.8 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
July is generally a very hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
27.6 °C, with a minimum of
24.9 °C and a maximum of
30.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
21.5 °C. However, it dropped to
19 °C in July 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
34.5 °C. However, it reached
37 °C in July 1994.
Precipitation amounts to
295 mm, distributed over 12 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 41% of the time.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
26.1 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
August, the hottest month of the year, is generally a very hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
28.7 °C, with a minimum of
25.6 °C and a maximum of
31.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
22 °C. However, it dropped to
20 °C in August 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
35.5 °C. However, it reached
39 °C in August 2013.
Precipitation amounts to
220 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 51% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
28.1 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
September is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
25.3 °C, with a minimum of
22.1 °C and a maximum of
28.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
17.5 °C. However, it dropped to
14 °C in September 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
33 °C. However, it reached
35 °C in September 1998.
Precipitation amounts to
185 mm, distributed over 10 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 47% of the time.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
27 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
October is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
20.3 °C, with a minimum of
16.9 °C and a maximum of
23.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
11.5 °C. However, it dropped to
7 °C in October 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
28.5 °C. However, it reached
32 °C in October 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
100 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 52% of the time.
The average humidity is 65%.
The average wind speed is of
9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
24.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
November is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
14.7 °C, with a minimum of
11.5 °C and a maximum of
18 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
5 °C. However, it dropped to
0.6 °C in November 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
23 °C. However, it reached
25 °C in November 1996.
Precipitation amounts to
100 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 44% of the time.
The average humidity is 67%.
The average wind speed is of
8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
22.7 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
December is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
9.5 °C, with a minimum of
6.4 °C and a maximum of
12.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
1.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-1 °C in December 2001.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18 °C. However, it reached
25 °C in December 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
75 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 0 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 38% of the time.
The average humidity is 65%.
The average wind speed is of
8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
20.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.