Best Time to Visit Sapporo: A Local's Season-by-Season Calendar

In short: the best time depends on what you want. If you want to get away from heat, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) normals for Sapporo show average daily highs of 21.8 °C in June, 25.4 °C in July, and 26.4 °C in August. If you want snow, the JMA’s normal dates are December 6 for the start of lasting snow cover and April 2 for its end, and the normal deepest snow cover in February is 95 cm. Daylight runs from about 9 hours in December to about 15 hours in June. Below are a table of the four seasons and a table of the 12 months. Which season suits you is my suggestion, and everything else is from the official sources named in each section.

If you live in a hot country, Sapporo is often chosen for one of two reasons: cooler summer weather, or snow. This post puts the official numbers for both in one place.

Please read this first: this post is general information. I am a private resident of Sapporo, not a company or a tour operator, and I am not affiliated with any event organizer. Weather numbers are from the Japan Meteorological Agency (気象庁) and were checked on October 9, 2026. They are 30-year averages (1991 to 2020), not forecasts, and any single year can differ. Daylight is from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). Event months and dates are only what the official pages show; where nothing is announced yet, I say so. Please check the official pages before you book.

The four seasons at a glance

I define the seasons by calendar months: spring is March to May, summer is June to August, autumn is September to November, and winter is December to February. The temperature column shows the lowest and highest of the monthly figures for the three months, taken from the JMA table: the monthly average of daily lows, and the monthly average of daily highs.

Season	Average daily low to average daily high (lowest to highest month)	Daylight on the 15th of the month (my calculation from NAOJ)	Snow (JMA)
Spring (Mar to May)	-2.4 °C (March) to 17.9 °C (May)	11 h 53 min (March) to 14 h 39 min (May)	Snow on 24.5 days in March, 10.1 in April, and 0.1 in May on average
Summer (Jun to Aug)	13.4 °C (June) to 26.4 °C (August)	15 h 21 min (June), 15 h 04 min (July), 13 h 58 min (August)	No snow days on average
Autumn (Sep to Nov)	1.6 °C (November) to 22.8 °C (September)	12 h 32 min (September) to 9 h 45 min (November)	Snow on 1.9 days in October and 15.6 in November on average
Winter (Dec to Feb)	-6.4 °C (January) to 2.0 °C (December)	9 h 01 min (December), 9 h 22 min (January), 10 h 32 min (February)	Snow on 27.9 days in December, 29.1 in January, and 25.3 in February on average

Sources: the JMA’s Sapporo monthly normals (平年値（年・月ごとの値）) and the NAOJ sunrise and sunset tables for Sapporo (2026). Daylight is sunset minus sunrise on the 15th of each month, rounded to the minute, which I calculated myself. The JMA temperatures are in the official table so that you can compare them with your own city; this post gives no clothing advice. For that, see this winter layering guide on Sapporo Insider Guide, a sister site written by the same Sapporo resident.

Month by month: the official numbers

Month	Average temperature	Average daily low to high	Precipitation	Days with snow	Daylight on the 15th (my calculation)
January	-3.2 °C	-6.4 to -0.4 °C	108.4 mm	29.1	9 h 22 min
February	-2.7 °C	-6.2 to 0.4 °C	91.9 mm	25.3	10 h 32 min
March	1.1 °C	-2.4 to 4.5 °C	77.6 mm	24.5	11 h 53 min
April	7.3 °C	3.4 to 11.7 °C	54.6 mm	10.1	13 h 24 min
May	13.0 °C	9.0 to 17.9 °C	55.5 mm	0.1	14 h 39 min
June	17.0 °C	13.4 to 21.8 °C	60.4 mm	0.0	15 h 21 min
July	21.1 °C	17.9 to 25.4 °C	90.7 mm	0.0	15 h 04 min
August	22.3 °C	19.1 to 26.4 °C	126.8 mm	0.0	13 h 58 min
September	18.6 °C	14.8 to 22.8 °C	142.2 mm	0.0	12 h 32 min
October	12.1 °C	8.0 to 16.4 °C	109.9 mm	1.9	11 h 06 min
November	5.2 °C	1.6 to 8.7 °C	113.8 mm	15.6	9 h 45 min
December	-0.9 °C	-4.0 to 2.0 °C	114.5 mm	27.9	9 h 01 min

Source: JMA, Sapporo monthly normals, 1991 to 2020. Precipitation is the monthly total, and “days with snow” is the JMA’s 雪日数 (the average number of days with snow in the month). Looking at the precipitation column, September has the largest monthly total (142.2 mm), followed by August (126.8 mm).

Spring (March to May)

Spring is the season of change. The monthly average temperature rises from 1.1 °C in March to 13.0 °C in May, and snow days fall from 24.5 in March to 0.1 in May. The JMA’s normal date for the last snow of the season is April 21, and for the end of lasting snow cover it is April 2.

• Cherry blossoms: the JMA’s table of cherry blossom dates gives May 1 as the normal flowering date for Sapporo (1991 to 2020 average).
• Events by name and month: the Sapporo Lilac Festival is listed as “Late May, 2027” on the Welcome to Sapporo events page (the Sapporo tourism site).

Summer (June to August)

This is the season for people who want to escape heat. By the JMA normals, the monthly average temperature is 17.0 °C in June, 21.1 °C in July, and 22.3 °C in August, and the average daily high peaks at 26.4 °C in August. Days are long: about 15 hours 21 minutes of daylight on June 15 by my calculation from the NAOJ table.

• Events by name and month, from the Welcome to Sapporo events page (2027 listings): the YOSAKOI Soran Festival is listed as June 9 to 13, 2027, SAPPORO CITY JAZZ PARK JAZZ LIVE as mid-July 2027, and the Hokkaido Marathon as “scheduled for late August 2027”.
• Sapporo Summer Festival: a summer event with venues including Odori Park. Its official site shows July 23 to August 18 for 2026. The 2027 dates are not announced yet; wait for the official announcement.

For reference only, the Welcome to Sapporo events page lists the Hokkaido Shrine Festival (a Shinto festival of Hokkaido Shrine) as June 14 to 16, 2027.

For comparison with your own city, use the daily highs in the table above. My suggestion: if your goal is to leave a hot summer, June to September is the period to look at (September, with an average daily high of 22.8 °C, is counted under autumn in this post).

Autumn (September to November)

Autumn is short and changes quickly. The monthly average temperature drops from 18.6 °C in September to 12.1 °C in October and 5.2 °C in November. September has the highest monthly precipitation normal of the year. The JMA’s normal date for the first snow in Sapporo is October 28; I explain the dates and the daylight change in When Does It Snow in Sapporo? The First Snow and How the City Changes.

• Autumn leaves: the JMA records the first yellowing of its ginkgo and the first reddening of its maple at the Sapporo station. For 2025 it shows ginkgo yellowing on November 7 and maple reddening on November 6. That is one year only, so it is not a rule.
• Events by name and month: the Sapporo International Short Film Festival and Market is listed for October 23 to 25, 2026 at Satsugeki dinos cinemas, on the Welcome to Sapporo events page (checked October 10, 2026). The Sapporo Autumn Fest’s official site describes it as a gourmet event themed on the food of Hokkaido and Sapporo, held in seven areas of Odori Park. The Welcome to Sapporo page for it (checked October 10, 2026) shows its 2025 run, September 12 to October 4, 2025, and no 2026 or 2027 dates, so please check the official announcement for the dates of the next edition.
• From late November: the White Illumination and the Munich Christmas Market are shown to start on November 20, 2026 (see below).

Winter (December to February)

Winter is the season for people who want snow. By the JMA normals, snow falls on about 28 days in December and 29 days in January, and the deepest snow cover averages 47 cm in December, 76 cm in January, and 95 cm in February. The normal start of lasting snow cover is December 6. Daylight is about 9 hours around the middle of December.

Winter event dates shown on the official pages as of October 9, 2026:

• Sapporo White Illumination: opens November 20, 2026. The venues run to December 25, 2026, February 11, 2027, or March 14, 2027, depending on the venue, and the Nakajima Park venue has no dates yet.
• Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo: November 20 to December 25, 2026.
• Sapporo Snow Festival: February 4 to 11, 2027, according to the organizer’s announcement of July 13, 2026.

Because some of these pages still contain text from last year, the full table with the details and my notes is in Sapporo’s Winter Calendar 2026–27: Illuminations, Christmas Market, and Snow Festival. My suggestion: if you want to see snow and the Snow Festival in one trip, aim for the first half of February.

Which season suits you?

If you want…	Look at	Why (source)
To get away from heat	June to September	Average daily highs of 21.8 °C (June), 25.4 °C (July), 26.4 °C (August), and 22.8 °C (September) in the JMA table
To see a snowy city	Mid-December to March	Lasting snow cover normally starts on December 6 and ends on April 2; the deepest-snow averages are 76 cm in January, 95 cm in February, and 82 cm in March (JMA)
The longest days	June	About 15 h 21 min of daylight on June 15 (NAOJ, my calculation)
The shortest days	Around mid-December	About 9 h 01 min of daylight on December 15 (NAOJ, my calculation)
Illuminations	From November 20, 2026	Dates shown on the official White Illumination pages
The Snow Festival	February 4 to 11, 2027	The organizer’s announcement of July 13, 2026

The choice of months in the first column is my suggestion based on those numbers. The official pages and the JMA’s forecasts, close to your trip, should be your final check.

FAQ

When is the best time to visit Sapporo?

It depends on your goal. For cooler summer weather, look at June to September, when the JMA’s average daily highs are 21.8 °C in June, 25.4 °C in July, 26.4 °C in August, and 22.8 °C in September. For snow, look at mid-December to March. This choice is my suggestion; the numbers come from the JMA.

Is Sapporo cooler than a hot summer elsewhere?

The JMA normals put the average daily high at 26.4 °C in August, the warmest month. Compare that figure with the daily highs in your own city to decide. Any single summer can be warmer or cooler than the average.

When does it snow in Sapporo?

The JMA’s normal first snow is October 28 and the normal start of lasting snow cover is December 6. Snow falls on about 28 days in December, 29 in January, and 25 in February. Details are in When Does It Snow in Sapporo? The First Snow and How the City Changes.

How long is daylight in Sapporo in winter and summer?

By my calculation from the NAOJ table, daylight on the 15th is about 9 hours 1 minute in December and about 15 hours 21 minutes in June.

When is the Sapporo Snow Festival?

The organizer’s announcement of July 13, 2026 gives February 4 to 11, 2027. See Sapporo’s Winter Calendar 2026–27: Illuminations, Christmas Market, and Snow Festival for the details and the official site.

Sources checked: Japan Meteorological Agency, 気象庁｜過去の気象データ検索: 札幌 平年値（年・月ごとの値） (Sapporo monthly normals) (Japanese), Japan Meteorological Agency (Sapporo Regional Headquarters), 初雪などの平年値 (normals of first snow and similar events) (Japanese), Japan Meteorological Agency, 気象庁 | さくらの開花日(2011-2020年) (cherry blossom flowering dates, with normal) (Japanese), Japan Meteorological Agency, 気象庁 | 生物季節観測の情報: いちょうの黄葉日 (ginkgo yellowing dates) and かえでの紅葉日 (maple reddening dates) (Japanese), National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Sunrise/Sunset @ Sapporo (Hokkaido), 2026-01 to 2026-12 - ECO, NAOJ (monthly pages s0001 to s0012 at the same address pattern), Welcome to Sapporo (Sapporo City’s official sightseeing website), Events | Welcome to Sapporo, さっぽろ夏まつり｜公式WEBサイト (Sapporo Summer Festival official website) (Japanese), さっぽろオータムフェスト｜公式ウェブサイト (Sapporo Autumn Fest official website) (Japanese), さっぽろホワイトイルミネーション｜公式ウェブサイト (Sapporo White Illumination official website) (Japanese), 2026 ミュンヘン・クリスマス市 in Sapporo | さっぽろホワイトイルミネーション (Japanese), 2027さっぽろ雪まつり（第77回）の開催概要について - News - さっぽろ雪まつり (Japanese). Checked on October 9, 2026. This post is general information, not a forecast; please check the JMA and the official event pages for current information.