Chongjin weather in January

In January, Chongjin sees average daytime highs of -3°C and overnight lows near -10°C, with 40 mm of precipitation across 9.2 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -3°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Chongjin's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chongjin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-3°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-10°
1st coldest
Precipitation
40 mm
9.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:52 AM – 5:09 PM
Cloud cover
42%
2nd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Chongjin is city in North Pyongan province, North Korea.

Density
1,216/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -3°C through the month.

A typical January day in Chongjin reaches about -3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -10°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -8°C and 1°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-20°-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-2-9
2-2-9
3-3-9
4-3-9
5-3-9
6-3-9
7-3-9
8-3-9
9-3-10
10-3-10
11-3-10
12-3-10
13-3-10
14-3-10
15-3-10
16-4-10
17-4-10
18-4-10
19-4-10
20-4-10
21-4-10
22-4-10
23-4-10
24-3-10
25-3-10
26-3-10
27-3-10
28-3-10
29-3-10
30-3-10
31-3-10

How January really feels in Chongjin

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Chongjin weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -10°409.210.29.30.0
Feb-1° / -8°275.96.110.30.0
Mar / -3°357.45.911.70.1
Apr10° / 5392.113.12.2
May15° / 9612.90.214.34.0
Jun18° / 14°10613.30155.1
Jul22° / 18°19017.2014.75.3
Aug23° / 20°21518.7013.75.4
Sep20° / 15°12111.3012.36.1
Oct15° / 598.50.410.94.8
Nov / 609.15.29.61.0
Dec-0° / -7°5811.211.490.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26733
36733
46733
56832
66733
76733
86733
96535
106535
116436
126436
136436
146337
156436
166436
176436
186436
196535
206535
216535
226733
236733
246733
256832
267030
277030
287129
297129
307129
317129

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Chongjin gets around 40 mm of rain and snow over 9.2 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 30% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13335
23335
33335
43335
53335
63336
73336
83336
93336
103337
113437
123437
133438
143438
153437
163337
173236
183235
193134
203033
212933
222832
232731
242630
252528
262427
272326
282225
292225
302124
312124

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:54 AM to 7:42 AM, and sunset from 4:54 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:544:54
29.07:544:55
39.07:544:56
49.07:544:57
59.17:544:58
69.17:544:59
79.17:544:59
89.17:545:00
99.17:545:01
109.17:535:02
119.27:535:03
129.27:535:04
139.27:535:05
149.27:525:06
159.37:525:07
169.37:525:09
179.37:515:10
189.37:515:11
199.47:505:12
209.47:505:13
219.47:495:14
229.47:495:15
239.57:485:17
249.57:485:18
259.57:475:19
269.67:465:20
279.67:455:21
289.67:455:23
299.77:445:24
309.77:435:25
319.77:425:26

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.91 kWh/m² to a high of 5.26 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 2.35 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.1Moderate
52.1Moderate
62.1Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.1Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Chongjin

In seasonPeak

In January, Chongjin sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Chongjin sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Chongjin's rainy season runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Pacific typhoon
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Chongjin?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chongjin.

What to pack for Chongjin in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Chongjin sees daytime highs around -3°C and nights near -10°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Chongjin in January

The nearest coast averages about 4°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 3°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 28 to Sep 11 — about 1.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul19Cool
Aug22Refreshing
Sep20Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov12Bracing
Dec7Bracing

UV index in Chongjin in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chongjin peaks around August 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 19UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul5High
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Chongjin in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Chongjin is worst in March — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.1× the cleanest month (August, 16 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateMar 1747 µg/m³Aug 1616 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan38Poor
Feb39Poor
Mar48Poor
Apr40Poor
May31Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec26Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Chongjin?

Chongjin sits at 41.8°N, 129.8°E, 5 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Ranam, 12 km away.

ŎrangHwasŏngYŏnsa-ŭpRajinMusan-ŭp

Topography around Chongjin

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Chongjin.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chongjin has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 226 m around an average of 20 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 762 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,502 m.

The land around Chongjin is covered by artificial surfaces (56%) and cropland (22%) within 3 km, trees (37%) and water (36%) within 16 km, and trees (58%) and water (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
226 m
16 km
762 m
80 km
2,502 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Ranam 12 km · Kyŏngsŏng 27 km · Puryŏng-ŭp 30 km · Ŏrang 40 km · Hwasŏng 65 km · Yŏnsa-ŭp 65 km · Rajin 66 km · Musan-ŭp 67 km

North Korea travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Safe drinking water
67%
of population, 2023
Road deaths
24.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Chongjin (41.7956°, 129.7758°, elevation 5 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).