Nagano in December: weather, what to wear and what's on

Averages for 1991–2020 at the JMA's Nagano station (418 m above sea level).

High

6.9°C (44°F)

Low

−1.5°C (29°F)

Precipitation

49.4 mm

Wet days

8.9 days

Sunshine

131 hours

Snow on ground

8.9 days

• Highs fall 6.5°C from November and drop another 3.1°C into January.
• That is 10.9°C below Nagano's yearly average high of 17.8°C.
• Of our 34 places with temperature records, Nagano is the 9th coldest in December: 1.4°C cooler than Sendai and 0.7°C warmer than Takayama.
• December is Nagano's 3rd driest month (49.4 mm).
• Of our 35 places, Nagano has the 5th lowest precipitation in December: 0.4 mm less than Kawaguchiko and 0.7 mm more than Kobe.
• Rain or snow of 1 mm or more falls on 8.9 days, and 10 mm or more on 1.5 days.
• The temperature drops below 0°C on 22.4 nights.
• On 1.0 days it stays below 0°C all day.
• 30 cm of snow falls in an average December; snow lies on the ground on 8.9 days.
• The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 17.0 days, and 3.0 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.
• On 15 December 2026 the sun rises at 6:52 and sets at 16:33 in Nagano, giving 9 hours 41 minutes of daylight (NAOJ).

Average temperature

2.3°C (36°F)

Humidity

79%

Deepest snow (average of each year's deepest)

16 cm

Early, mid and late December

By the last ten days of December the average high in Nagano is 3.9°C lower than in the first ten.

By ten-day totals, 21–31 December is the wettest (20.7 mm) and 1–10 December the driest (14.1 mm).

Is Nagano cold in December?

Yes, it is cold. Nagano averages 6.9°C (44°F) by day and −1.5°C (29°F) at night in December. It gets colder still: 11–20 January has highs of 3.6°C.

Cold: highs around 6.9°C

• A winter coat over layers, and a scarf.
• Gloves and a hat for mornings and nights: the temperature drops below 0°C on 22.4 nights.
• A waterproof jacket with a hood: rain or snow falls on 8.9 days.

Shoes

• Waterproof boots with good grip: snow lies on the ground on 8.9 days (deepest 16 cm on average).

Pack

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

• Our clothing rules

There are no national holidays in December 2026.

In December 2025, hotels and inns across Nagano Prefecture were 33.3% full on average (10th busiest of 12 months). Foreign guests spent 303,720 nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 37.4% in November and 38.3% in January.

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