When Does It Snow in Sapporo? The First Snow and How the City Changes
Contents
- What counts as the “first snow”?
- What the most recent record shows
- How the weather changes from October to December
- How short do the days get?
- What to do with this information
- FAQ
- When is the first snow in Sapporo?
- Does the first snow mean snow stays on the ground?
- How many hours of daylight does Sapporo have in December?
- Is Sapporo cold in October and November?
- Can I rely on these dates for booking a trip?
In short: according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the normal date of the first snow at its Sapporo station is October 28 (average of 1991 to 2020). The first day counted as snow cover normally comes on November 12, and snow that stays on the ground for a long time normally starts on December 6. Days also get much shorter: by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan’s table, the sun sets at 17:17 on October 1 but at 16:00 from December 3 to December 15. Everything about weather and daylight in this post comes from those two official sources. Reading the numbers into a travel plan is my own suggestion.
If you are planning a trip to Sapporo from a warm country, “first snow” is one of the first things people ask about. This post explains what the official records say, in plain English.
Please read this first: this post is general information. I am a private resident of Sapporo, not a company, a weather forecaster, 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 sunrise and sunset times are from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. Checked on October 9, 2026. Normals are averages of the past, not forecasts, and any single year can be different. For a forecast close to your trip, please use the JMA’s own forecast pages.
What counts as the “first snow”?
The JMA’s glossary page on seasonal phenomena defines the first snow (初雪, hatsuyuki) as the first snow of the cold season, counted from August 1 to July 31 of the next year, and it says sleet counts too. That is my English translation. So the “first snow” is the first day any snow or sleet falls. It does not have to settle on the ground.
The JMA uses several different markers, and they fall on very different dates:
| JMA term | Meaning | Normal date in Sapporo (1991 to 2020) |
|---|---|---|
| First snow (雪の初日) | First day with snow or sleet falling | October 28 |
| First accumulated snow (積雪の初日) | First day counted as snow cover; the JMA page says it is calculated from days when the daily deepest snow depth is 1 cm or more (日最深積雪1cm以上から算出) | November 12 |
| First lasting snow cover (長期積雪の初日) | Start of snow cover that stays on the ground (the JMA glossary says a lasting cover is 30 days or more) | December 6 |
| First snow on a mountain top (初冠雪) | Snow settling near a mountain summit so that it looks white, first seen from the weather station (my translation of the JMA’s description); the JMA table lists Mt. Teine (手稲山) for Sapporo | October 18 (from past records) |
The JMA announced on July 31, 2026 that, from the 2026 winter season, it replaces its staff’s visual observation of first snow on mountain tops with information based on radar, satellite, and AMeDAS analysis, so the mountain row is a record from the earlier method. Source for the four normal dates: the JMA Sapporo Regional Headquarters page “初雪などの平年値” (normals of first snow and similar events). The JMA marks some values with “@” as reference values, and none of these four Sapporo values carries that mark on the page I read.
What the most recent record shows
The JMA also publishes what was actually observed each cold season. The page I checked, updated on May 18, 2026, covers the “2026 cold season” (寒候年), which the JMA defines as August 2025 to July 2026.
| JMA marker | Observed in the 2026 cold season | Difference from normal (JMA) |
|---|---|---|
| First snow | October 23, 2025 | 5 days earlier |
| First accumulated snow | November 8, 2025 | 4 days earlier |
| First lasting snow cover | December 3, 2025 | 3 days earlier |
That is one season only, so please do not read it as a rule. It does show that the real dates can move by several days either side of the normal. As of October 9, 2026, the page I checked still showed the cold season that ended in July 2026, so I cannot tell you whether this autumn’s first snow has fallen. Please check the JMA page for the latest entry.
How the weather changes from October to December
These are the JMA’s 1991 to 2020 monthly normals for Sapporo. They show how quickly autumn turns into winter.
| Item (JMA monthly normal) | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature | 12.1 °C | 5.2 °C | -0.9 °C |
| Average daily high | 16.4 °C | 8.7 °C | 2.0 °C |
| Average daily low | 8.0 °C | 1.6 °C | -4.0 °C |
| Days with snow (雪日数) | 1.9 | 15.6 | 27.9 |
| Total snowfall (降雪の深さ合計) | 1 cm | 30 cm | 113 cm |
| Deepest snow cover (最深積雪) | 1 cm | 15 cm | 47 cm |
Source: JMA, Sapporo normals by year and month (平年値（年・月ごとの値）). Temperatures are listed here so that you can compare them with your own city. This post does not give clothing advice; for that, see this winter layering guide on Sapporo Insider Guide, a sister site written by the same Sapporo resident.
Reading the table: October is mostly snow-free, with snow on about two days a month on average. In November the number of snow days jumps to about 16, but the deepest snow cover is still about 15 cm. By December snow falls on about 28 days of the month on average, and the deepest cover is about 47 cm.
How short do the days get?
The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) publishes a sunrise and sunset table for Sapporo. I took the times below from it, and I worked out the length of daylight myself by subtracting sunrise from sunset (rounded to the minute, so treat it as approximate).
| Date (2026) | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight (my calculation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 1 | 5:31 | 17:17 | 11 h 46 min |
| October 15 | 5:47 | 16:53 | 11 h 06 min |
| November 1 | 6:08 | 16:27 | 10 h 19 min |
| November 15 | 6:26 | 16:11 | 9 h 45 min |
| December 1 | 6:46 | 16:01 | 9 h 15 min |
| December 15 | 6:59 | 16:00 | 9 h 01 min |
In the same table, the sun sets at 16:00 on every day from December 3 to December 15, and the sunrise on December 22 is 7:03 and the sunset 16:03. For comparison, the table for June 15 shows sunrise at 3:55 and sunset at 19:16, about 15 hours 21 minutes.
If you come from a place where the sun sets at about the same time all year, this is a big change. My suggestion: in late autumn and winter, plan your outdoor sightseeing for the morning and early afternoon, and keep the evening for indoor plans.
What to do with this information
Everything here is an average, so I suggest treating it as a range, not a promise.
- Late October: the normal first snow is October 28, but in the most recent record it came on October 23, 2025. Snow may fall, but it is unlikely to stay on the ground.
- November: snow falls on about half of the days on average, and the first accumulation normally comes on November 12.
- December: snow falls on about 28 days of the month on average, and lasting snow cover normally starts on December 6.
My suggestion: if you want to see a snowy Sapporo, aim for December or later. If you want to avoid snow, September and early October are the safer choice. For the full year, see Best Time to Visit Sapporo: A Local’s Season-by-Season Calendar. Winter events such as the illuminations, the Christmas market and the Snow Festival are in Sapporo’s Winter Calendar 2026–27: Illuminations, Christmas Market, and Snow Festival.
FAQ
When is the first snow in Sapporo?
The JMA’s normal date for the first snow in Sapporo is October 28, based on 1991 to 2020. In the 2026 cold season (August 2025 to July 2026) the JMA recorded it on October 23, 2025. Any single year can differ by several days.
Does the first snow mean snow stays on the ground?
Not usually. The JMA counts even sleet as first snow. In Sapporo the normal date for the first day counted as snow cover (calculated from days with a daily deepest snow depth of 1 cm or more) is November 12, and for lasting snow cover it is December 6.
How many hours of daylight does Sapporo have in December?
From the NAOJ table, the sun rises at 6:46 and sets at 16:01 on December 1, which is about 9 hours 15 minutes by my calculation. Around December 22, sunrise is 7:03 and sunset 16:03.
Is Sapporo cold in October and November?
The JMA normals are in the table above: the average temperature is 12.1 °C in October and 5.2 °C in November, and the average daily low is 8.0 °C and 1.6 °C. October has snow on about 2 days on average, and November on about 16 days.
Can I rely on these dates for booking a trip?
Please treat them as averages, not forecasts. The JMA’s observed dates for the 2026 cold season were 3 to 5 days earlier than normal, so a single year can differ. Check the JMA forecast close to your travel dates.
Sources checked: 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 (Sapporo Regional Headquarters), 雪・積雪・長期積雪（根雪）の初日、終日の観測状況 (observations of first and last days of snow and snow cover; updated May 18, 2026) (Japanese), Japan Meteorological Agency, 季節現象 (glossary of seasonal phenomena) (Japanese), Japan Meteorological Agency, 初冠雪に関する情報提供の改善について | 気象庁 (improvement of information on first snow on mountain tops, July 31, 2026) and 初冠雪の観測 (first snow on mountain tops: observation method, July 31, 2026, PDF) (Japanese), 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） (past weather data search: Sapporo monthly normals) (Japanese), National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Sunrise/Sunset @ Sapporo (Hokkaido) 2026-10 - ECO, NAOJ, 2026-11, 2026-12 and 2026-06 (same title format). Checked on October 9, 2026. This post is general information, not a forecast; please check the JMA for current weather.