Sendai climate — normals and trends
Sendai (Japan) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 11.0 °C and it receives 1,271 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is August (23.6 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-0.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in July.
Sendai averages 100 frost days, 10 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 154 rainy days per year.
Sendai has warmed by +2.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.33 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 122 to 78 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 35.6 °C (on 15 August 1994) and the coldest -19.9 °C (on 17 January 1942).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
SendaiMiyagi
- coords
- 38.27°, 140.87°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
11.0°C
Average daily high
14.8°C
Average daily low
7.3°C
Annual rainfall
1,271mm
Sunshine / day
8.2h
Mean relative humidity
77%
Average peak wind
15.3km/h
Seasonal range
24.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
100 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
10 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
154 d/yr
Annual snowfall
91.3 cm
Average feels-like high
13.7 °C
Average feels-like low
5.7 °C
Average peak gust
39.4 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
40 d/yr
Solar radiation
13.4 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.8 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.65 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
35.6 °C
15 August 1994
Coldest day
-19.9 °C
17 January 1942
Wettest day
166 mm
12 October 2019
Windiest day
52.0 km/h
31 January 1970
Strongest gust
143.6 km/h
27 September 1959
Hottest feels-like
42.0 °C
30 July 2023
Coldest feels-like
-24.6 °C
17 January 1942
Snowiest day
45.6 cm
24 December 1980
Sunniest day
14.3 h
19 June 2007
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.7 °C | +1.9 °C | 59 mm | +2 mm |
| Feb | 4.1 °C | +0.5 °C | 38 mm | -17 mm |
| Mar | 10.3 °C | +2.9 °C | 83 mm | +2 mm |
| Apr | 14.8 °C | +1.0 °C | 105 mm | +17 mm |
| May | 19.2 °C | +0.6 °C | 184 mm | +85 mm |
| Jun | 26.1 °C | +4.6 °C | 81 mm | -49 mm |
| Jul | 30.3 °C | +5.1 °C | 81 mm | -95 mm |
| Aug | 29.9 °C | +3.0 °C | 194 mm | +32 mm |
| Sep | 26.0 °C | +2.9 °C | 154 mm | -19 mm |
| Oct | 18.2 °C | +0.7 °C | 166 mm | +43 mm |
| Nov | 12.9 °C | +1.2 °C | 63 mm | -5 mm |
| Dec | 7.6 °C | +1.8 °C | 76 mm | +16 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Sendai?
Sendai has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 11.0 °C and it receives 1,271 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Sendai?
The hottest day measured in Sendai between 1940 and 2025 was 15 August 1994, reaching 35.6 °C.
What is the coldest day in Sendai?
The coldest day measured in Sendai between 1940 and 2025 was 17 January 1942, at -19.9 °C.
Does it snow in Sendai?
Yes. Sendai gets on average 91.3 cm of snow per year and has around 100 frost days.
Has the climate of Sendai warmed?
Yes: Sendai warmed by +2.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Sendai?
The wettest day measured in Sendai between 1940 and 2025 was 12 October 2019, with 166 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Sendai?
The windiest day measured in Sendai between 1940 and 2025 was 31 January 1970, with winds reaching 52.0 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Sendai?
The warmest month in Sendai is August (23.6 °C on average); the coldest is January (-0.9 °C).
How much does it rain in Sendai?
Sendai receives on average 1,271 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 154 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Sendai?
Sendai gets on average 8.2 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 2,993 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Sendai?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Sendai between 1940 and 2025 was 24 December 1980, with 45.6 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Sendai?
Yes: Sendai has on average 40 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Sendai?
In Sendai, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 42.0 °C on 30 July 2023, and the lowest was -24.6 °C on 17 January 1942.
Compare Sendai with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Sendai