Kumagaya (熊谷市, Kumagaya-shi) is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 February 2021[update], the city had an estimated population of 195,277 in 87,827 households and a population density of 1200 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 159.82 square kilometres (61.71 sq mi).
Geography
Kumagaya is one of the largest cities in northern Saitama Prefecture. About two-thirds of the city area is located between the Tone River and the Arakawa Riveralluvial fan, approximately 60 km from central Tokyo and 45 km from the prefectural capital at Saitama City. The highest point in the city is Mikajiri Kannon, which is located on the Kushibiki plateau at an altitude of 83.3 meters. The city is known for its abundant and high quality ground water.
Kumagaya has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kumagaya is 14.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1532 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.4 °C.[2]
Kumagaya is known for being one of the hottest areas in summer in Japan. This is caused by very hot winds from Tokyo and the Chichibu basin in the west of the prefecture. In central Tokyo, the summer monsoon enhanced by sea breeze is heated by the urban heat island. Also, from the Chichibu Mountains, the Föhn blows. The two winds converge above the city at about 2 p.m.
On August 16, 2007, the city recorded air temperature of 40.9 °C (105.6 °F), breaking the 74-year record for the highest temperature recorded in Japan. "Very Hot! Kumagaya" (あついぞ！熊谷) is a catchphrase of the city.[3] On July 23, 2018, the national record was broken again with a temperature of 41.1 °C (106.0 °F),[4] surpassing the previous record of 41.0 °C (105.8 °F) recorded in Kōchi Prefecture in August 2013.[5]
There was a large hailstorm on June 29, 1917 at about 5 p.m. The hailstones had a diameter of 29.5 centimetres and weighed 3.4 kilograms.[6]
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Kumagaya is a major industrial and commercial center within northern Saitama. Eight national highways and three railway lines serve the city. While many people commute towards south Tokyo, its daytime population is larger than the night population thanks to commuters from surrounding towns.
Education
Kumagaya has one private university. There are 30 public elementary schools and 17 public middle schools operated by the city government, and seven public high schools operated by the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education. In addition, there are two public and six private vocational training schools. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped.
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