Chongjin in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Chongjin sees average daytime highs around -2°C and overnight lows near -8°C, with 125 mm of precipitation over about 26 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around -2°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Chongjin's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Chongjin's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- -2°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -8°C
- Precipitation
- 125 mm
- 26 wet days
- Avg wind
- 11 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Chongjin in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around -2°C.
A typical winter day in Chongjin reaches about -2°C and drops to -8°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Chongjin
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Chongjin weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -3° / -10° | 40 | 9.2 | 10.2 | 9.3 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -1° / -8° | 27 | 5.9 | 6.1 | 10.3 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 4° / -3° | 35 | 7.4 | 5.9 | 11.7 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 10° / 3° | 53 | 9 | 2.1 | 13.1 | 2.2 |
| May | 15° / 9° | 96 | 12.9 | 0.2 | 14.3 | 4.0 |
| Jun | 18° / 14° | 106 | 13.3 | 0 | 15 | 5.1 |
| Jul | 22° / 18° | 190 | 17.2 | 0 | 14.7 | 5.3 |
| Aug | 23° / 20° | 215 | 18.7 | 0 | 13.7 | 5.4 |
| Sep | 20° / 15° | 121 | 11.3 | 0 | 12.3 | 6.1 |
| Oct | 15° / 8° | 59 | 8.5 | 0.4 | 10.9 | 4.8 |
| Nov | 6° / 0° | 60 | 9.1 | 5.2 | 9.6 | 1.0 |
| Dec | -0° / -7° | 58 | 11.2 | 11.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Chongjin gets around 125 mm of rain and snow over 26 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 11 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min in early December to 10 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Chongjin
In winter, Chongjin overlaps 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.
Is winter a good time to visit Chongjin?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chongjin.
What to pack for Chongjin in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Chongjin sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -8°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 26 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Chongjin in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 5°C across winter — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 7 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Bracing |
| Feb | 3 | Bracing |
| Mar | 3 | Bracing |
| Apr | 6 | Bracing |
| May | 9 | Bracing |
| Jun | 14 | Bracing |
| Jul | 19 | Cool |
| Aug | 22 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 20 | Cool |
| Oct | 16 | Cool |
| Nov | 12 | Bracing |
| Dec | 7 | Bracing |
UV index in Chongjin in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | High | High | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 7 | High |
| Jul | 5 | High |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Chongjin in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 38 | 39 | 48 | 40 | 31 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 25 | 26 | 26 |
| Level | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | Poor |
| Feb | 39 | Poor |
| Mar | 48 | Poor |
| Apr | 40 | Poor |
| May | 31 | Moderate |
| Jun | 21 | Moderate |
| Jul | 18 | Moderate |
| Aug | 16 | Moderate |
| Sep | 18 | Moderate |
| Oct | 25 | Moderate |
| Nov | 26 | Moderate |
| Dec | 26 | Moderate |
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.
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.
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.