Fukuoka, the largest city of Kyushu, sits on the island's northern coast on Hakata Bay, facing the Sea of Japan and the Korean peninsula beyond, at approximately 33.59°N, 130.40°E. It has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — hot, muggy summers and mild winters — with heavy early-summer rains and exposure to late-summer typhoons.

Summer, from June to August, is hot and muggy, with August the warmest month — average highs around 32–33°C and oppressive humidity. Early summer brings the baiu, the plum rains, when June downpours can be torrential; western Kyushu sees some of the heaviest rainfall in Japan. Late summer and early autumn are the typhoon season, when storms sweep up from the Pacific with destructive winds and rain.

Winter, from December to February, is mild and comparatively grey, with January the coolest month — averaging around 6–7°C. Frost occurs on the coldest nights, and snow falls occasionally when cold Siberian air crosses the Sea of Japan, but it rarely lies. The season is cloudier and damper than Japan's Pacific coast, with brisk northwesterly winds.

Fukuoka is wet, receiving around 1,600–1,700 mm of rain a year, concentrated in the baiu rains of June and July — when monthly totals can be immense — and again during the autumn typhoon season, while winter is drier. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Fukuoka's early-summer baiu, or plum rains, can be dramatic: parts of western Kyushu receive over 500 mm in June alone, and these downpours regularly trigger deadly floods and landslides across the island. Typhoons in late summer and early autumn are the region's other major hazard.

To follow any single measurement in Fukuoka more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.