Sukayu
酸ケ湯40°39′ N 140°51′ EJMA1991-2020-5.1 to 13.1 °C
Table view
| Month | High °C | Low °C | Mean °C | Rain mm | Rain days | Snow depth cm | New snow cm | Sun h | Wind | m/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -5.1 | -10 | -7.5 | 117.7 | 20.9 | 316 | 454 | 11.8 | WNW | 3.2 |
| Feb | -4.3 | -9.8 | -6.9 | 80.1 | 17.3 | 373 | 341 | 22.5 | WNW | 3.4 |
| Mar | -0.2 | -6.8 | -3.5 | 82.4 | 16.6 | 372 | 234 | 53.5 | WNW | 3.4 |
| Apr | 6.4 | -0.8 | 2.8 | 106 | 13.2 | 325 | 97 | 112.9 | WNW | 3.1 |
| May | 13.1 | 5.1 | 9.1 | 117 | 12 | 187 | 40 | 176.4 | WNW | 2.5 |
| Jun | 17.6 | 9.8 | 13.6 | 136.1 | 11.4 | 7 | 2 | 158.4 | WNW | 1.9 |
| Jul | 21.1 | 14.6 | 17.7 | 178.1 | 12.6 | 0 | 0 | 117.8 | W | 1.8 |
| Aug | 21.9 | 15.3 | 18.4 | 211 | 13.1 | 0 | 0 | 128.4 | WNW | 1.8 |
| Sep | 17.7 | 10.7 | 14.1 | 223 | 13.8 | 0 | 0 | 115 | WNW | 2 |
| Oct | 11.4 | 4.2 | 7.7 | 218 | 15.9 | 8 | 11 | 104.3 | WNW | 2.5 |
| Nov | 4.5 | -2 | 1.2 | 195.6 | 19 | 64 | 143 | 52.9 | WNW | 2.9 |
| Dec | -2.2 | -7.6 | -4.9 | 167.7 | 22 | 195 | 376 | 16.8 | WNW | 3.2 |
Reading the seasons
Station
JMA's Sukayu AMeDAS station (block 1079) stands at 890 m at Sukayu Onsen in the Hakkoda mountains of Aomori. The Hakkoda Ropeway climbs above it, and the upper slopes run colder still. Every value is JMA's 1991–2020 normal.
Snow
Sukayu's normal deepest snow reaches 373 cm in February and 372 cm in March, and January averages 454 cm of new snow. JMA's record snow depth at Sukayu is 566 cm, set on 26 February 2013.
Winter
January is cold and dark, with a mean of −7.5 °C and 11.8 hours of sunshine for the whole month. The wind blows most often from the west-north-west at 3.2–3.4 m/s from December to March.
Spring
April's normal deepest snow is still 325 cm and May's is 187 cm. May is the sunniest month at 176.4 hours.
Volcano
Hakkoda is an active volcano that JMA monitors. Check the current alert level on JMA's Hakkoda page before touring: https://www.data.jma.go.jp/vois/data/sendai/203_Hakkodasan/203_index.html
SnowSeries
Two snow series come from JMA's normals. snowDepthMax is the month's deepest snow on the ground in centimetres (最深積雪), and freshSnow is the month's total new snowfall in centimetres (降雪の深さ合計).
Rain
Rain days count the days with 1 mm or more of precipitation.
Wind
The windDir field holds JMA's most frequent wind direction (最多風向) for each month as the compass point the wind blows from.
Quick answers about Sukayuよくある質問
What is the weather like in Sukayu in January to February and April to May?
In January to February and April to May, Sukayu averages daily highs of -5.1 to 13.1 °C and lows of -10 to 5.1 °C, with 80 to 118 mm of rain a month, by the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991-2020 normals. The most frequent wind in January comes from the WNW at a mean 3.2 m/s.
Which month is warmest in Sukayu?
August is the warmest month in Sukayu, with an average daily high of 21.9 °C, by the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991-2020 normals.
Which month is wettest in Sukayu?
September is the wettest month in Sukayu, with 223 mm of rain on average, by the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991-2020 normals.
In the journal and guides
Read more about Sukayu特集
Snow feature · 11 min read
When should you ride Zao and Hakkoda for the snow monsters?
February is the month. Zao Ropeway puts its snow monsters at full size then, on a big ticketed mountain above a sulphur onsen village. Hakkoda gives one ropeway and two ungroomed courses through its own fir groves, with tour routes opening from early March.
Practical guide · 6 min read
What does JaPow mean?
JaPow is skier slang for Japan's powder snow, a blend of Japan and pow. The snow comes from cold northwesterly winds that cross the Sea of Japan and unload on the mountains facing it, with January the snowiest month at every JMA station we keep near a ski area.
Practical guide · 9 min read
When is the best time to ski in Japan?
Mid-January to the end of February brings the most snow on Honshu and in Tohoku. Book around New Year and the 2027 holiday weekends, or wait for March and April, when the days run long and spring prices kick in.