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

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

High

8.3°C (47°F)

Low

0.9°C (34°F)

Precipitation

44.1 mm

Wet days

5.6 days

Sunshine

136 hours

Snow on ground

4.2 days

• Highs fall 5.8°C from November and drop another 2.7°C into January.
• That is 8.6°C below Sendai's yearly average high of 16.9°C.
• Of our 34 places with temperature records, Sendai is the 10th coldest in December: 0.2°C cooler than Nikko and 1.4°C warmer than Nagano.
• December is Sendai's 3rd driest month (44.1 mm).
• Of our 35 places, Sendai has the 2nd lowest precipitation in December: 1.2 mm less than Nikko and 14.5 mm more than Karuizawa.
• 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 11.4 nights.
• 9 cm of snow falls in an average December; snow lies on the ground on 4.2 days.
• The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 18.4 days, and 2.4 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.
• By the JMA's cloud records, 1.1 days are clear and 6.9 are overcast.
• On 15 December 2026 the sun rises at 6:46 and sets at 16:17 in Sendai, giving 9 hours 31 minutes of daylight (NAOJ).

Average temperature

4.5°C (40°F)

Humidity

68%

Deepest snow (average of each year's deepest)

6 cm

Early, mid and late December

By the last ten days of December the average high in Sendai is 2.7°C lower than in the first ten.

By ten-day totals, 21–31 December is the wettest (16.7 mm) and 11–20 December the driest (11.5 mm).

Is Sendai cold in December?

Yes, it is cold. Sendai averages 8.3°C (47°F) by day and 0.9°C (34°F) at night in December. It gets colder still: 11–20 January has highs of 5.4°C.

Cold: highs around 8.3°C

• A winter coat over layers, and a scarf.
• Gloves and a hat for mornings and nights: the temperature drops below 0°C on 11.4 nights.
• A folding umbrella: rain or snow falls on 5.6 days.

Shoes

• Shoes with good grip: snow or sleet falls on 17.6 days.

Pack

• Folding umbrella
• Gloves and a warm hat
• Scarf

• Our clothing rules

Autumn leaves (maple)

The JMA's sample maple in Sendai turns red around 21 November and has lost most of its leaves by 6 December in an average year (1991–2020). In 2025: 20 November.

Ginkgo turns yellow

The JMA's sample ginkgo in Sendai turns yellow around 23 November and has lost most of its leaves by 5 December in an average year (1991–2020). In 2025: 21 November.

Dates are for one sample tree at or near the JMA observatory, not for every park in the city.

There are no national holidays in December 2026.

In December 2025, hotels and inns across Miyagi Prefecture were 57.4% full on average (10th busiest of 12 months). Foreign guests spent 103,640 nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 65.5% in November and 47.4% in January.

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