In the summer the weather, like all of western Hokkaid?, is very warm and balmy, with maxima of around 25 �C (77 �F) and high humidity - though nothing like so unpleasant as in southern Japan. In the winter, however, Otaru is exceptionally snowy, receiving as much as 6.6 metres (260 in) of snow from November to March, when it snows almost constantly and sunshine is extremely low. The average maximum snow cover is 1.22 metres (48 in)
