Chongjin weather in May

In May, Chongjin sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 96 mm of precipitation across 12.9 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Chongjin's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chongjin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
6th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
96 mm
12.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
5:07 AM – 7:28 PM
Cloud cover
66%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Chongjin reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1136
2136
3137
4137
5137
6137
7137
8137
9147
10148
11148
12148
13148
14148
15148
16159
17159
18159
19159
20159
21159
221510
231610
241610
251610
261610
271610
281611
291611
301611
311611

How May really feels in Chongjin

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Chongjin weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 5th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24456
34357
44357
54258
64258
74159
84060
94060
104060
113961
123961
133961
143961
153862
163862
173763
183763
193763
203763
213664
223763
233862
243862
253862
263862
273961
283961
293961
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Chongjin gets around 96 mm of rain and snow over 12.9 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 41% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1352
2362
3362
4362
5361
6361
7371
8371
9381
10381
11391
12391
13400
14410
15420
16430
17430
18440
19450
20450
21450
22460
23460
24450
25450
26440
27440
28430
29430
30420
31420

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
210000
310000
410000
510000
610000
710000
810000
910000
1010000
1110000
1210000
1310000
149910
159910
169910
179910
189910
199820
209820
219820
229730
239640
249640
259460
269370
279280
2890100
2988120
3086140
3183161

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:25 AM to 4:55 AM, and sunset from 7:12 PM to 7:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:257:12
213.85:237:13
313.95:227:14
413.95:217:15
513.95:197:16
614.05:187:17
714.05:177:18
814.15:167:19
914.15:147:20
1014.15:137:21
1114.25:127:22
1214.25:117:24
1314.25:107:25
1414.35:097:26
1514.35:087:27
1614.45:077:28
1714.45:067:29
1814.45:057:30
1914.55:047:31
2014.55:037:32
2114.55:027:33
2214.55:017:34
2314.65:007:35
2414.64:597:36
2514.64:597:36
2614.74:587:37
2714.74:577:38
2814.74:577:39
2914.74:567:40
3014.84:557:41
3114.84:557:42

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.22 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 — May's 5.22 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Chongjin

In seasonPeak

In May, 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 May a good time to visit Chongjin?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Chongjin for sightseeing.

What to pack for Chongjin in May

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

In May, Chongjin sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Chongjin in May

The nearest coast averages about 9°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).