Tokyo is 4.2°C (7.6°F) warmer by day, Tokyo has 7.2°C (13°F) warmer nights, Tokyo gets 788 mm (31 in) more rain a year.
Cologne is at its warmest in August and coolest in January, while Tokyo peaks in August and bottoms out in February. Month for month, Tokyo is the warmer of the two in 12 of 12 months.
Tokyo is the wetter of the two, collecting 1,610 mm (63.4 in) of rain a year against 822 mm (32.4 in) in Cologne. The most comfortable time to visit is June, July and August in Cologne and May, June and September in Tokyo.
| Cologne | Metric | Tokyo |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 21.1°C | 🌡️Average daytime high | 25.3°C |
| 0°C | 🌙Average nighttime low | 7.2°C |
| August | 🔥Hottest month | August |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | February |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 822 mm | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 1,610 mm |
| December | ☔Wettest month | September |
| April | 🏜️Driest month | December |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 82% | 💧Average humidity | 79% |
| 3 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 2.6 m/s |
Overnight, Cologne typically falls to around 0°C (32°F) while Tokyo settles near 7.2°C (45°F).
Cologne is hottest in August and coldest in January, whereas Tokyo peaks in August and is coolest in February.
Cologne sees the most rain in December and the least in April; Tokyo is wettest in September and driest in December.
Cologne feels the more humid of the two, averaging 82% relative humidity against 79%.
For Tokyo, the pick of the year is May, June and September.
Month by month, here is the coldest night, the average day and the hottest afternoon each city can expect. Switch Compare to read rainfall, humidity, wind or solar instead, and Period to move between the long-term 45-year average and any single year — the shading is a quick warm-to-cool guide.
| Month | Cologne | Tokyo | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | -8.2 | 1.1❄️ | 10.5 | -1.8 | 6.7❄️ | 15.2 |
| February | -7.4 | 2.2 | 11.9 | -1.9 | 7.4 | 16.8 |
| March | -4 | 6.5 | 16.9 | -0.5 | 9.7 | 19.9 |
| April | -2.2 | 9.6 | 21.4 | 2.6 | 13.3 | 24 |
| May | 2.1 | 13.7 | 25.2 | 8.6 | 18.1 | 27.7 |
| June | 6.1 | 17.7 | 29.2 | 13.7 | 22.3 | 30.9 |
| July | 8.9 | 20.2🔥 | 31.6 | 18.3 | 26.3 | 34.2 |
| August | 8.6 | 20.1 | 31.7 | 20.3 | 27.5🔥 | 34.6 |
| September | 5.4 | 16.2 | 27 | 15.1 | 23.8 | 32.4 |
| October | 0.6 | 11.2 | 21.7 | 8.7 | 18 | 27.4 |
| November | -3.2 | 6.1 | 15.3 | 3.4 | 12.9 | 22.5 |
| December | -6.8 | 2.2 | 11.2 | -0.4 | 8.9 | 18.3 |
| Annual Avg | 0 | 10.6 | 21.1 | 7.2 | 16.2 | 25.3 |
Min / mean / max temperature (°C). 🔥 marks each city's hottest month, ❄️ its coldest; shading runs cool blue to warm red.
The same figures plotted out, so the shape of a typical year is easier to see than in a grid. Where the two lines run close together Cologne and Tokyo feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Cologne Tokyo
See how Cologne and Tokyo stack up against other cities. Swipe for more.
Choose which city to keep, then search for any other city in our database — we'll build the comparison for you.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most when comparing Cologne and Tokyo — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Tokyo is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 25.3°C (77.5°F) against 21.1°C (70°F) in Cologne — roughly 4.2°C (7.6°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Tokyo, with average lows of 7.2°C (45°F) versus 0°C (32°F).
Cologne is hottest in August, averaging highs of about 31.7°C (89°F), while Tokyo peaks in August at around 34.6°C (94.3°F). That makes Tokyo the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Cologne gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about -8.2°C (17.2°F), compared with -1.9°C (28.5°F) at the low point of the year in Tokyo.
Tokyo is the wetter city, collecting about 1,610 mm (63.4 in) of rain a year versus 822 mm (32.4 in) in Cologne. Cologne is wettest in December and driest in April; Tokyo is wettest in September and driest in December.
Cologne is the more humid of the two, averaging 82% relative humidity over the year against 79% in Tokyo.
The most comfortable months in Cologne are June, July and August, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Tokyo is at its most pleasant around May, June and September, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
Tokyo is the warmer city in all 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in September, about 7.6°C (13.7°F), and narrowest in March, about 3.2°C (5.8°F).
Tokyo has the bigger seasonal swing, about 20.8°C (37.4°F) between its coldest and hottest months versus 19.1°C (34.4°F) in Cologne — so Cologne has the steadier, more even climate.
It depends what matters most to you: choose Tokyo for warmer weather, pick Cologne if you prefer drier conditions and go for Tokyo if you want lower humidity. There is no single "better" climate — it comes down to whether you value warmth, dryness or comfort most.
Every figure on this page is calculated from NASA POWER satellite climate data spanning 1981–2025 (45 years). The averages describe the long-term climate of Cologne and Tokyo, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
