{
  "name": "Otaru",
  "type": "city",
  "url": "https://snowingplaces.com/cities/otaru/",
  "summary": "Canal-side port town near Sapporo, with heavy winter snow and a February snow-light festival.",
  "location": {
    "country": "Japan",
    "region": "Hokkaido",
    "latitude": 43.19,
    "longitude": 140.99
  },
  "elevationMetres": {
    "city": 53
  },
  "factsVerified": false,
  "forecast": {
    "status": "out of season",
    "resumes": "October"
  },
  "snowRecord": {
    "metric": "average days per month with at least 1 cm of snowfall",
    "period": "2016–2025",
    "source": "ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo",
    "elevation": "city centre",
    "daysPerMonth": {
      "january": 19.3,
      "february": 17.1,
      "march": 10.3,
      "april": 2.5,
      "may": 0,
      "june": 0,
      "july": 0,
      "august": 0,
      "september": 0,
      "october": 0.5,
      "november": 9.3,
      "december": 18.8
    },
    "shareOfAnnualSnowfallPercent": {
      "january": 25,
      "february": 22,
      "march": 14,
      "april": 2,
      "may": 0,
      "june": 0,
      "july": 0,
      "august": 0,
      "september": 0,
      "october": 1,
      "november": 13,
      "december": 24
    },
    "averageDailyTemperatureC": {
      "january": {
        "low": -5.1,
        "high": -1.3
      },
      "february": {
        "low": -4.6,
        "high": -0.8
      },
      "march": {
        "low": -1.1,
        "high": 3.5
      },
      "april": {
        "low": 3.7,
        "high": 10.1
      },
      "may": {
        "low": 9.5,
        "high": 16.8
      },
      "june": {
        "low": 13.6,
        "high": 20
      },
      "july": {
        "low": 18.7,
        "high": 24.6
      },
      "august": {
        "low": 19.8,
        "high": 25.3
      },
      "september": {
        "low": 16,
        "high": 21.8
      },
      "october": {
        "low": 9.4,
        "high": 15
      },
      "november": {
        "low": 3,
        "high": 7.8
      },
      "december": {
        "low": -3,
        "high": 0.9
      }
    },
    "wintersAsPercentOfAverage": {
      "2016/17": 108,
      "2017/18": 109,
      "2018/19": 90,
      "2019/20": 81,
      "2020/21": 93,
      "2021/22": 119,
      "2022/23": 113,
      "2023/24": 88,
      "2024/25": 106,
      "2025/26": 91
    },
    "holidays": {
      "christmas": {
        "years": 10,
        "yearsWithSnowOnGround": 10,
        "yearsWithFreshSnow": 10
      },
      "newYear": {
        "years": 10,
        "yearsWithSnowOnGround": 10,
        "yearsWithFreshSnow": 10
      },
      "midFebruary": {
        "years": 10,
        "yearsWithSnowOnGround": 10,
        "yearsWithFreshSnow": 10
      },
      "easter": {
        "years": 10,
        "yearsWithSnowOnGround": 10,
        "yearsWithFreshSnow": 3
      },
      "midJuly": {
        "years": 10,
        "yearsWithSnowOnGround": 0,
        "yearsWithFreshSnow": 0
      }
    },
    "note": "Absolute snowfall and depth are not published: ERA5 underestimates them in mountain terrain."
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "label": "Otaru on Wikidata",
      "url": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q242108"
    },
    {
      "label": "Elevation from the Open-Meteo terrain model at the city centre coordinates",
      "url": "https://open-meteo.com/en/docs/elevation-api"
    }
  ],
  "methodology": "https://snowingplaces.com/methodology/",
  "attribution": "snowingplaces.com. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com."
}