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Osaka, the heart of the Kansai region, sits on the Pacific coast of western Honshu at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, at approximately 34.69°N, 135.50°E. It has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with hot, humid summers and mild winters. Partly ringed by mountains, the Osaka–Kyoto area is relatively sheltered from typhoons compared with the exposed Pacific coast further east.
Summer, from June to September, is hot and very humid, with August the hottest month — average highs around 33°C and warm, sticky nights, made worse by the dense city's urban heat island. It begins with the tsuyu plum-rain season of June and July, then turns stifling. Typhoons can still affect the city in late summer and early autumn, though the surrounding mountains offer some shelter from their full force.
Winter, from December to February, is mild, dry and sunny, with January the coldest month — average highs around 9–10°C and lows near 2–3°C. Cold, dry northwesterly winds bring many clear, bright days; frost forms on cold nights, but snow is infrequent and rarely settles in the city. The relatively dry, sunny winters are comfortable if cool.
Osaka receives around 1,300–1,400 mm of rain a year — a little less than Tokyo — with peaks during the June–July plum rains and the autumn typhoon and rain-front season, and a drier winter. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Osaka shares the tsuyu plum rains and the late-summer typhoon season of the rest of Pacific Japan, but its position in the mountain-ringed Kansai basin makes it somewhat more sheltered from the strongest typhoons than the open eastern coast. A pronounced urban heat island makes its summer nights especially warm, while spring cherry blossom and autumn foliage mark the mild, agreeable transitional seasons.
To follow any single measurement in Osaka 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.