Sōma, Fukushima

Sōma is located in northeastern Fukushima Prefecture, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Abukuma Plateau to the west. Sōma is closer to Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture than it is to the prefectural capital of Fukushima.

• Mountains
• Mount Ryōzen (825m)
• Rivers
• Uda River
• Coastal features
• Matsukawa Lagoon

• Fukushima Prefecture
• Date
• Iitate
• Minamisōma
• Shinchi
• Miyagi Prefecture
• Marumori

Sōma has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Sōma is 12.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1260 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.8 °C.[https://en.climate-data.org/location/5385/ Sōma climate data]

{{Weather box

|width=auto

|collapsed = Y

|single line = Y

|metric first = Y

|location = Sōma (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present)

|Jan record high C = 18.4

|Feb record high C = 22.7

|Mar record high C = 26.0

|Apr record high C = 31.0

|May record high C = 32.5

|Jun record high C = 36.3

|Jul record high C = 36.8

|Aug record high C = 37.6

|Sep record high C = 35.7

|Oct record high C = 31.1

|Nov record high C = 26.4

|Dec record high C = 23.0

|Jan record low C = -11.9

|Feb record low C = -14.0

|Mar record low C = -8.5

|Apr record low C = -5.4

|May record low C = 1.6

|Jun record low C = 7.3

|Jul record low C = 11.7

|Aug record low C = 12.5

|Sep record low C = 7.3

|Oct record low C = -0.7

|Nov record low C = -3.9

|Dec record low C = -9.2

|Jan high C = 6.7

|Feb high C = 7.3

|Mar high C = 10.6

|Apr high C = 15.8

|May high C = 20.4

|Jun high C = 23.0

|Jul high C = 26.6

|Aug high C = 28.2

|Sep high C = 25.0

|Oct high C = 20.0

|Nov high C = 14.8

|Dec high C = 9.5

|Jan mean C = 2.2

|Feb mean C = 2.5

|Mar mean C = 5.4

|Apr mean C = 10.5

|May mean C = 15.5

|Jun mean C = 19.0

|Jul mean C = 22.7

|Aug mean C = 24.2

|Sep mean C = 20.8

|Oct mean C = 15.4

|Nov mean C = 9.7

|Dec mean C = 4.7

|Jan low C = -2.5

|Feb low C = -2.3

|Mar low C = 0.0

|Apr low C = 5.0

|May low C = 10.9

|Jun low C = 15.6

|Jul low C = 19.7

|Aug low C = 20.8

|Sep low C = 17.1

|Oct low C = 10.8

|Nov low C = 4.4

|Dec low C = -0.1

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 47.4

|Feb precipitation mm = 34.6

|Mar precipitation mm = 77.8

|Apr precipitation mm = 97.4

|May precipitation mm = 113.0

|Jun precipitation mm = 146.9

|Jul precipitation mm = 190.8

|Aug precipitation mm = 166.8

|Sep precipitation mm = 225.0

|Oct precipitation mm = 198.8

|Nov precipitation mm = 60.3

|Dec precipitation mm = 34.9

|year precipitation mm = 1381.2

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 4.2

|Feb precipitation days = 4.9

|Mar precipitation days = 7.9

|Apr precipitation days = 8.5

|May precipitation days = 9.2

|Jun precipitation days = 12.5

|Jul precipitation days = 13.7

|Aug precipitation days = 11.7

|Sep precipitation days = 11.9

|Oct precipitation days = 8.7

|Nov precipitation days = 5.8

|Dec precipitation days = 4.8

|Jan sun = 180.3

|Feb sun = 175.5

|Mar sun = 193.2

|Apr sun = 193.7

|May sun = 192.2

|Jun sun = 147.5

|Jul sun = 132.8

|Aug sun = 156.8

|Sep sun = 129.1

|Oct sun = 144.2

|Nov sun = 152.9

|Dec sun = 163.9

|year sun = 1961.9

|source 1 = Japan Meteorological Agency{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_a.php?prec_no=36&block_no=0285&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = March 20, 2022}}{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_amd_ym.php?prec_no=36&block_no=0285&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = March 20, 2022}}}}

Per Japanese census data,[https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-fukushima.php Sōma population statistics] the population of Sōma has remained the same over the past 40 years.

{{Historical populations

| 1920 | 27,858

| 1930 | 31,627

| 1940 | 31,887

| 1950 | 44,375

| 1960 | 41,352

| 1970 | 37,189

| 1980 | 37,332

| 1990 | 39,134

| 2000 | 38,842

| 2010 | 37,817

| 2020 | 34,631

|align = none

| footnote =

}}

The area of present-day Sōma was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Jōmon period. During the Edo period, the area developed as the castle town of Sōma Domain, home of the Sōma clan from the Kamakura period until the Boshin War. After the Meiji Restoration, it was organized as part of Iwaki Province. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1896, the area was organized into a number of towns and villages within the districts of Namekata and Uda. In 1896, Namekata and Uda were merged to create Sōma District. The town of Nakamura was established on April 1, 1889. Nakamura was merged with seven neighbouring villages and raised to city status on March 31, 1954, becoming the city of Sōma.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

The eastern, coastal portion of Sōma was inundated by tsunami floodwaters following the magnitude 9.1 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami off its coastline on March 11, 2011.Kyodo News, "Survivors in trauma after life-changing nightmare day", The Japan Times, 13 March 2011, p. 2. The tsunami reached up to approximately 4 km inland in Sōma; flooded areas included Sōma Port and the Matsukawa-ura Bay area, up to the elevated Route 6 Sōma Bypass.NHK, TV News Broadcast, 13 March 2011. The tsunami was measured to have been 9.3 meters or higher in Sōma.http://www.jma.go.jp/en/tsunami/observation_2_04_20110313180559.html JMA tsunami observation data.

Sōma is about {{convert|45|km|miles|abbr=off}} north of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the site of the nuclear accident that followed the tsunami, and was thus not subject to mandatory evacuation.{{Cite web |url=http://fukushimaontheglobe.com/the-earthquake-and-the-nuclear-accident/evacuation-orders-and-restricted-areas |title=Fukushima evacuation orders and restricted areas |access-date=2017-11-04 |archive-date=2016-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160715192721/http://fukushimaontheglobe.com/the-earthquake-and-the-nuclear-accident/evacuation-orders-and-restricted-areas |url-status=dead }}

Sōma has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 20 members.[https://www.city.soma.fukushima.jp/gikai/meibo_20111130.html Sōma City Council membership list] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516174459/http://www.city.soma.fukushima.jp/gikai/meibo_20111130.html |date=2017-05-16 }}{{in lang|ja}} Sōma, together with the town of Shinchi contributes one member to the Fukushima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Fukushima 1st district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Sōma has a mixed economy, based on agriculture, commercial fishing and light manufacturing. The area is noted for its strawberry cultivation. The Shinchi Thermal Power Station, a coal-fired thermal power station is located in Sōma.

Sōma has nine public elementary schools and four public junior high schools operated by the city and two public high schools operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school.

Soma General Hospital, a public hospital with 240 beds, is located in Sōma.

22px East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Jōban Line

• {{STN|Nittaki|x}} - {{STN|Soma|x}}

• {{jct|country=JPN|Exp|E6|dab1=J}} – Sōma Interchange
• {{jct|country=JPN|Exp|E13|dab1=TC}} – Sōma Interchange – Sōma Yamakami Interchange – Sōma Tamano Interchange
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|6}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|115}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|116}}

• Port of Soma

• Matsukawaura Prefectural Natural Park
• Mount Ryōzen, National Place of Scenic Beauty and a National Historic Site
• The Sōma horse-chasing Festival held on July 23 to 25 every year is a designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.[https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/302/28] Agency for Cultural Affairs {{in lang|ja}}
• Sōma Nakamura Castle ruins
• Sōma Nakamura Shrine

• Tikashi Fukushima, artist.
• Takahiro Suzuki, professional baseball player
• Tochiazuma Tomoyori, sumo wrestler

{{Reflist}}

{{cite book |last=Sasaki |first=Takashi |year=2013 |others=Translated by F. Javier de Esteban Baquedano |title=Fukushima: vivir el desastre |language=Spanish |publisher=Satori Ediciones |location=Gijón, Spain |isbn= 978-84-941125-3-9}}

{{Commons category|Soma, Fukushima}}

• [http://www.city.soma.fukushima.jp/ Official Website] {{in lang|ja}}

{{Fukushima}}

{{2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soma, Fukushima}}

Category:Cities in Fukushima Prefecture

Category:Populated coastal places in Japan

Category:Port settlements in Japan