Sendai in January: weather, what to wear and what's on

Averages for 1991–2020 at the JMA's Sendai station (39 m above sea level).

High

5.6°C (42°F)

Low

−1.3°C (30°F)

Precipitation

42.3 mm

Wet days

5.6 days

Sunshine

149 hours

Snow on ground

8.8 days

• Highs are 2.7°C below December and 0.9°C below February.
• That is 11.3°C below Sendai's yearly average high of 16.9°C.
• Of our 34 places with temperature records, Sendai is the 12th coldest in January: 0.3°C cooler than Nikko and 0.1°C warmer than Kawaguchiko.
• January is Sendai's 2nd driest month (42.3 mm).
• Of our 35 places, Sendai has the 3rd lowest precipitation in January: 3.9 mm less than Hiroshima and 3.9 mm more than Kobe.
• Rain or snow of 1 mm or more falls on 5.6 days, and 10 mm or more on 1.1 days.
• The temperature drops below 0°C on 22.6 nights.
• 21 cm of snow falls in an average January; snow lies on the ground on 8.8 days.
• The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 19.8 days, and 2.2 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.
• By the JMA's cloud records, 0.7 days are clear and 6.3 are overcast.
• On 15 January 2027 the sun rises at 6:52 and sets at 16:40 in Sendai, giving 9 hours 48 minutes of daylight (NAOJ).

Average temperature

2.0°C (36°F)

Humidity

66%

Deepest snow (average of each year's deepest)

10 cm

Early, mid and late January

By the last ten days of January the average high in Sendai is 0.6°C lower than in the first ten.

By ten-day totals, 21–31 January is the wettest (18.9 mm) and 1–10 January the driest (11.7 mm).

Is Sendai cold in January?

Yes, it is cold. Sendai averages 5.6°C (42°F) by day and −1.3°C (30°F) at night in January. 11–20 January is the coldest stretch of the year, with highs of 5.4°C.

Cold: highs around 5.6°C

• A winter coat over layers, and a scarf.
• Gloves and a hat for mornings and nights: the temperature drops below 0°C on 22.6 nights.
• A waterproof jacket with a hood: rain or snow falls on 5.6 days.

Shoes

• Waterproof boots with good grip: snow lies on the ground on 8.8 days (deepest 10 cm on average).

Pack

• Waterproof jacket with a hood
• Gloves and a warm hat
• Scarf
• Waterproof boots with grip

• Our clothing rules

National holidays in January 2027:

• Fri 1 January — New Year's Day
• Mon 11 January — Coming of Age Day

• Fri 1 January to Sun 3 January: 3 days off in a row
• Sat 9 January to Mon 11 January: 3 days off in a row

In January 2025, hotels and inns across Miyagi Prefecture were 47.4% full on average (the quietest month of the year). Foreign guests spent 95,020 nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 57.4% in December and 55.4% in February.

• Japan in January: visitor numbers and busy travel days
• Holidays in January
• Year-end and New Year holidays