Hokkaido New Year Weather and What to Wear | Sapporo, Hakodate, Asahikawa, Obihiro Mornings and Evenings, and Heavy-Snow Years [2026-27]

Over the New Year holidays in Hokkaido, more than half of the locations already have daytime highs below freezing. Comparing the late-December and early-January normals (1991–2020) from the Japan Meteorological Agency across 9 locations, the daily highs are below 0℃ at 5 locations in late December: Asahikawa −1.9℃, Furano −2.4℃, Obihiro −0.3℃, Abashiri −0.6℃ and Wakkanai −0.8℃. In early January Chitose (−0.3℃) joins them, making 6. Daily lows run from −5.0℃ to −5.8℃ in Sapporo, −9.6℃ to −10.6℃ in Asahikawa and −10.6℃ to −12.0℃ in Obihiro. Even Hakodate drops to between −4.5℃ and −5.2℃ (Japan Meteorological Agency website, 10-day normals (1991–2020, checked 2026-10-05)).

This article is for people heading to Sapporo, Hakodate, Asahikawa or Obihiro over the New Year holidays, and it sorts out morning and evening temperatures and what to wear by location. The second half takes three years when heavy snow disrupted transport at the end of the year, from Japan Meteorological Agency records, and lays out what to check before you leave as a set of actions. Every number is a normal, meaning a typical guide for an average year. They are not a forecast for the day, so switch to the latest forecast from one week before departure. Temperatures for all of December and when the snow starts to stay are in Hokkaido in December: Temperature and What to Wear.

How cold is Hokkaido at New Year? Lows range from −4.5℃ to −13.0℃

In terms of Japan Meteorological Agency normals, the New Year period spans late December (21st–31st) and early January (1st–10th). Across the 9 locations compared for these two periods, the highest daily low is Hakodate in late December at −4.5℃, and the lowest is Furano in early January at −13.0℃. That is a gap of 8.5℃. Even within Hokkaido, your destination changes how cold the mornings feel by a whole notch.

Source: (Japan Meteorological Agency website, 10-day normals (1991–2020, checked 2026-10-05)).

Sapporo’s lows are −5.0℃ to −5.8℃, so picture mornings of around −5℃ every single day. Daytime highs in Sapporo only reach 0.9℃ to 0.2℃, so a daytime temperature at which snow does not melt even at noon is the New Year standard.

What are mornings and evenings like in Sapporo, Hakodate, Asahikawa and Obihiro? Check the table of 9 locations

Location	Late December High / Low	Early January High / Low
Sapporo	0.9／−5.0	0.2／−5.8
Chitose (around New Chitose Airport)*	0.4／−10.6	−0.3／−11.5
Hakodate	2.2／−4.5	1.3／−5.2
Asahikawa	−1.9／−9.6	−2.7／−10.6
Furano	−2.4／−11.8	−3.0／−13.0
Obihiro	−0.3／−10.6	−0.9／−12.0
Kushiro	1.2／−8.6	0.6／−8.9
Abashiri	−0.6／−7.4	−1.4／−8.0
Wakkanai	−0.8／−5.0	−1.6／−5.5

There are three ways to read the table.

First, only Sapporo, Hakodate, Kushiro and Chitose (late month only) keep highs above zero, and all of them stay in the 0–2℃ range. That means a repeating cycle in which snow and road surfaces melt during the day and freeze at night. Second, Chitose’s lows of −10.6℃ to −11.5℃ are colder than Asahikawa’s. From the day you pick up your vehicle at New Chitose Airport and set off, plan for inland-level cold. Third, Hakodate at −4.5℃ to −5.2℃ is among the milder places in Hokkaido.

How different are the end of the year and the start of the year? Lows drop by 0.3–1.4℃

From late December to early January, daily lows fall by 0.3–1.4℃ at the 7 locations in the table. The biggest drop is Obihiro’s 1.4℃ (−10.6℃ → −12.0℃), and the smallest is Kushiro’s 0.3℃ (−8.6℃ → −8.9℃). Sapporo drops 0.8℃ and Asahikawa 1.0℃ (Japan Meteorological Agency website, 10-day normals (1991–2020, checked 2026-10-05)). The difference is not enough to make the night of December 31 feel any different from the night of January 3, so it is fine to think of it as having already hit the bottom of the cold before the year is out.

The progression of lows from November to February is summarized in our article on Hokkaido winter temperatures and campervan overnight-parking equipment.

How much snow is on the ground? Normal maximum snow depth increases from December to January

Location	December max snow depth	January max snow depth
Sapporo	47cm	76cm
Hakodate	22cm	34cm
Asahikawa	58cm	72cm
Obihiro	36cm	57cm
Kushiro	17cm	23cm
Abashiri	29cm	46cm
Wakkanai	39cm	59cm

Sapporo goes from 47cm in December to 76cm in January, Asahikawa from 58cm to 72cm, and Obihiro from 36cm to 57cm. The New Year holidays fall partway through that, when walls of snow begin to form along the roadsides (Japan Meteorological Agency website, monthly normals, checked 2026-10-05). Kushiro has 17cm and 23cm; eastern Hokkaido on the Pacific side gets less snow, so road freezing is the main thing to watch for instead.

What should you wear? Think in three situations: daytime, mornings and evenings, and night

Assuming normal highs of around 0℃ and lows of −5 to −12℃, here is what to wear for each situation. The numbers are from the tables above (Japan Meteorological Agency 10-day normals, checked 2026-10-05).

Daytime driving and sightseeing (highs −3.0 to 2.2℃)

A thick down jacket or coat, gloves and a knit hat are the basics. In Sapporo, Hakodate and Kushiro it is 0–2℃, and on days of wet snow your shoes get cold first. In Asahikawa, Obihiro and Furano it stays below freezing all day, so every time you get out of the vehicle your neck and ears are exposed to the cold air.

Morning and evening shopping, after a hot spring, and morning preparation (lows −13.0 to −4.5℃)

The first outdoor air in the morning is in the −5℃ range in Sapporo, and from around −10℃ to −13℃ in inland Asahikawa, Obihiro and Furano. Bring a fleece to wear under your down jacket, a neck warmer, thick socks, and shoes with non-slip soles for snowy roads. Wet gloves freeze, so it is reassuring to carry one spare pair.

Overnight parking nights

While you sleep, you spend the whole stretch of the day’s lowest temperature inside the vehicle. It comes down to the combination of heating and bedding, and the items to check are written out one by one in our article on what to check to sleep warm during winter overnight parking.

• Daytime: Down jacket, gloves and knit hat. Inland, cover your neck and ears too
• Mornings and evenings: A fleece under the down jacket, thick socks, non-slip soles. Spare gloves
• Night: Thin long-sleeved top and long pants for sleepwear, plus thick socks. Check the heating and bedding equipment when you book
• Adjust for your destination: One notch lighter than Sapporo for Hakodate and Kushiro, one notch heavier than Sapporo for Chitose, Asahikawa, Obihiro and Furano

Have there been years when heavy snow stopped transport at New Year? Three cases from Japan Meteorological Agency records

Normals describe the usual cold, but what wrecks an itinerary is heavy snow and snowstorms. Here are three cases, from late December and the start of the year, among the weather bulletins published by the Sapporo District Meteorological Observatory. All are preliminary values, and the source materials state that they may be revised later (checked 2026-10-05).

December 22–23, 2016: 61cm of snowfall in Sapporo, about 6,000 people spend the night at New Chitose Airport

In Sapporo, total snowfall from the 22nd to the 23rd was 61cm, and the deepest snow cover was 96cm at 23:00 on the 23rd. The source notes that this was the first time since 1966 that Sapporo had snow cover of 90cm or more in December. New Chitose Airport closed its runways intermittently for snow removal from early afternoon on the 22nd, and over the three days to the 24th, 607 flights, including 39 international flights, were cancelled; on the night of the 23rd about 6,000 people spent the night at the airport. JR Hokkaido had cancelled a total of 527 trains as of 0:20 on the 25th (transport figures are from Hokkaido Shimbun and NHK News, as of December 26). Source: Sapporo District Meteorological Observatory, Weather bulletin on the heavy snow of December 22–23, 2016 (Heisei 28) (checked 2026-10-05).

December 22–26, 2011: Snowstorm and heavy snow leave about 100 vehicles stranded on a national route

Total snowfall from the 22nd to the 26th was greatest at Akaigawa in Shiribeshi, at 82cm. JR cancelled or partly cancelled 11 trains in Hokkaido on the 24th, 86 on the 25th and 97 on the 26th, and on the 26th about 150 flights to and from New Chitose Airport were cancelled. On the night of the 25th, on National Route 275 (Urausu Town) in the Sorachi region, about 100 vehicles were temporarily stranded by snow (according to JR Hokkaido, the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau and Hokkaido Shimbun). Source: Sapporo District Meteorological Observatory, Weather bulletin on the snowstorm, heavy snow and high waves of December 22–26, 2011 (Heisei 23) (checked 2026-10-05).

January 7–8, 2024: Vehicles stranded on national routes in Shiribeshi and Iburi

At the start of the year, on January 7–8, heavy snow also fell in northern and western Shiribeshi and western Iburi. Snowfall records were broken at Otaru, Rankoshi and Ogishi, and vehicles were stranded on national routes. There were also national route closures, cancelled JR and local bus services, and cancelled flights (according to news reports and other sources). Source: Sapporo District Meteorological Observatory, Weather bulletin on the heavy snow of January 7–8, 2024 (Reiwa 6) (checked 2026-10-05).

In all three cases, more than one of airports, railways and national routes were affected. It varies from year to year, and it does not necessarily happen at New Year, so we do not give a frequency or probability. Build in spare days on the assumption that there are years when it has happened.

What should you check before departure? The order of decisions when heavy snow is forecast

• One week before: Check the weekly forecast from the Japan Meteorological Agency (Sapporo District Meteorological Observatory) and whether any weather information on heavy snow or snowstorms has been issued
• 2–3 days before: Check the warnings and advisories issued for your destination, and consider whether you can take mountain passes and coastal sections off your itinerary
• The day before and the morning of: Check road closure information from the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau and each road administrator, JR Hokkaido operating information, and airport arrival and departure information
• Spare day: Leave one day of slack before your return day and your flight home. On a day when heavy snow keeps you from moving, not moving is the right call

For driving and parking in snow and what to do if you cannot move, see our article on bad-weather measures, and for answers to worries about winter travel, see our article collecting worries about winter campervan trips.

If you ring in the New Year in a campervan, what equipment should you check?

Taking as the premise Chitose’s lows of −10.6℃ to −11.5℃ and Obihiro’s of −10.6℃ to −12.0℃ (Japan Meteorological Agency website, 10-day normals (1991–2020, checked 2026-10-05)), there are four things to check. Whether winter tires are already fitted, whether there is a heater that works even with the engine off (an FF heater), whether there is bedding for everyone, and, for multiple nights, whether you can fit in one night at a stopover with a power supply.

• Heating: Whether an FF heater is fitted and how to use it can be checked in our article explaining FF heaters
• Winter tires: Each company’s policy is collected in our article on when to change to studless tires and how rental companies handle winter tires
• Bedding: Ask before booking how many sets come as standard and whether you can rent extra
• Where to stay: Some facilities close for the winter, so first find out which places are open in our article on RV parks and Michi-no-Eki where you can overnight park in winter

Where to see the first sunrise, New Year’s Eve routes and New Year crowds are covered in our New Year campervan travel guide. This article sticks to temperatures and what to wear, so decide your route there.

Packing checklist before departure

• Down jacket and thick winter outerwear (one piece, wherever you are going)
• 2 pairs of gloves (one as a spare), a knit hat and a neck warmer
• A mid layer such as a fleece (for mornings and evenings)
• Thick socks and shoes with non-slip soles for snowy roads
• Thin long-sleeved top and long pants for sleepwear
• Disposable hand warmers and an insulated bottle
• A spare battery for your smartphone (batteries drain faster in the cold)
• A snow shovel and a scraper for frozen windows (check at booking whether they can be lent)

Pages to see next

• Hokkaido in December: Temperature, When Snow Starts to Stay, and Preparing for a Winter Trip
• Hokkaido New Year Campervan Travel Guide | First Sunrise, Winter Scenery and New Year’s Eve Routes [2026-27 Edition]
• Hokkaido Winter Temperatures | November–February Lows and Campervan Overnight-Parking Equipment [2026]
• What to Check to Sleep Warm in a Hokkaido Winter Campervan
• Bad-Weather Measures for Hokkaido Campervan Trips | How to Safely Wait Out Rain, Strong Wind, Dense Fog and Heavy Snow [2026 Edition]
• When Should You Change to Studless Tires for a Hokkaido Campervan? Winter Tire Policies of Rental Companies [2026 Edition]

Featured photo: t-konno “The 66th Sapporo Snow Festival – panoramio” (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)