Tokyo sits on the Pacific coast of central Honshu, on the Kanto Plain at the head of Tokyo Bay, at approximately 35.68°N, 139.69°E. It has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with four distinct seasons — hot, humid summers and mild, dry, sunny winters — shaped by the East Asian monsoon, which brings cold dry air from the northwest in winter and warm humid air from the Pacific in summer.

Summer, from June to September, is hot and very humid, with August the hottest month — average highs around 31°C and sultry nights. It begins with the tsuyu, the plum-rain season of June and early July, a spell of persistent damp, drizzly weather, followed by stifling, muggy heat intensified by the city's vast urban heat island. Late summer and early autumn are typhoon season, when Pacific storms can bring gale-force winds and torrential rain.

Winter, from December to February, is mild, dry and sunny, with January the coldest month — average highs around 10°C and lows near 2–35°C, occasionally dipping to freezing on clear nights. Cold, dry northwesterly winds bring long stretches of bright, clear weather, and while frost can form, snow is infrequent and usually light, rarely settling for long. The sunny, crisp winters are a marked contrast to the humid summers.

Tokyo is quite wet, receiving around 1,500–1,600 mm of rain a year, with two peaks: the tsuyu plum rains of June and July, and the typhoon-driven rains of September and October, which make September the single wettest month. Winter is comparatively dry. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Two seasonal features frame Tokyo's year: the tsuyu or plum-rain season of early summer, and the typhoon season of late summer and autumn, when several Pacific storms a year affect the region. A strong urban heat island keeps the dense metropolis warmer than its surroundings, especially on summer nights, while the celebrated cherry-blossom bloom of late March and early April and the vivid foliage of November mark the mild, pleasant transitional seasons.

To follow any single measurement in Tokyo 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.