Chŏngju weather in January

In January, Chŏngju sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -11°C, with 11 mm of precipitation across 2.6 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Chŏngju's 1st-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chŏngju's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-11°
1st coldest
Precipitation
11 mm
2.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
8:04 AM – 5:33 PM
Cloud cover
35%
1st clearest
Wind
10 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Chŏngju is human settlement in North Korea.

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 -1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Chŏngju reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -11°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 3°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 3°C cooler than February.

-20°-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-1-10
2-1-10
3-1-10
4-1-10
5-1-11
6-2-11
7-2-11
8-2-11
9-2-11
10-2-11
11-2-11
12-2-11
13-2-11
14-2-11
15-2-11
16-2-11
17-1-11
18-1-11
19-1-11
20-1-11
21-1-11
22-1-11
23-1-11
24-1-11
25-1-11
26-1-11
27-1-11
28-1-10
29-1-10
300-10
310-10

How January really feels in Chŏngju

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.

Chŏngju weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -11°112.62.89.50.0
Feb / -7°223.42.710.40.0
Mar / -1°284.71.411.71.6
Apr15° / 586.60.2135.0
May21° / 11°1028.2014.26.8
Jun25° / 17°12810.1014.86.7
Jul27° / 21°30815.3014.55.4
Aug28° / 21°25014.1013.65.4
Sep25° / 15°1037012.37.4
Oct18° / 577.1010.96.2
Nov / -0°567.51.29.81.7
Dec / -8°255.13.79.20.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27228
37129
47228
57228
67228
77129
87129
97129
107129
117030
127030
137030
147030
157030
167030
177030
187129
197129
207129
217129
227129
237228
247228
257327
267327
277327
287327
297327
307327
317327

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Chŏngju gets around 11 mm of rain and snow over 2.6 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 9% and peaks near 11% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11111
21111
31111
41111
51011
61011
71010
81010
91010
101010
111010
121010
131010
14910
1599
1699
1799
1889
1988
2088
2178
2277
2377
2477
2567
2667
2766
2866
2966
3066
3166

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 10 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
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 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 8:05 AM to 7:55 AM, and sunset from 5:19 PM to 5:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.28:055:19
29.28:055:20
39.38:055:21
49.38:065:22
59.38:065:23
69.38:065:23
79.38:065:24
89.38:065:25
99.38:055:26
109.48:055:27
119.48:055:28
129.48:055:29
139.48:055:30
149.48:055:31
159.58:045:32
169.58:045:33
179.58:045:34
189.58:035:35
199.68:035:36
209.68:025:37
219.68:025:38
229.68:015:39
239.78:015:40
249.78:005:42
259.78:005:43
269.77:595:44
279.87:585:45
289.87:585:46
299.87:575:47
309.97:565:48
319.97:555:50

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.19 kWh/m² to a high of 5.76 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.68 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Chŏngju

In seasonPeak

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

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

Chŏngju's rainy season runs July–August, 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 Chŏngju?

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
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chŏngju.

What to pack for Chŏngju in January

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

In January, Chŏngju sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -11°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Chŏngju in January

The nearest coast averages about 2°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 25°C and coldest in February near 0°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 3 to Oct 1 — about 3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar2Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug25Warm
Sep23Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov12Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Chŏngju 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 Chŏngju peaks around August 16 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowAug 16UV 8Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Chŏngju 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 Chŏngju is worst in January — around 106 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.1× the cleanest month (August, 50 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyJan 17104 µg/m³Aug 1050 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan106Unhealthy
Feb94Unhealthy
Mar94Unhealthy
Apr80Unhealthy
May68Unhealthy
Jun59Unhealthy
Jul50Poor
Aug50Poor
Sep67Unhealthy
Oct81Unhealthy
Nov90Unhealthy
Dec91Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Chŏngju?

Chŏngju sits at 39.7°N, 125.2°E, 18 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Sil-li, 32 km away.

SinanjuAnjuCh’ŏsal-liPaek'akKaech’ŏnSunch’ŏn

Topography around Chŏngju

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chŏngju has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 163 m around an average of 29 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 550 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,275 m.

The land around Chŏngju is covered by cropland (70%) within 3 km, cropland (53%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and trees (35%), cropland (32%) and water (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
163 m
16 km
550 m
80 km
1,275 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Sil-li 32 km · Kusŏng-si 32 km · Sinanju 36 km · Anju 40 km · Ch’ŏsal-li 41 km · Paek'ak 43 km · Kaech’ŏn 58 km · Sunch’ŏn 68 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 Chŏngju (39.6933°, 125.2103°, elevation 18 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).