Hongwŏn weather in January

In January, Hongwŏn sees average daytime highs of 0°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 30 mm of precipitation across 5.8 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 0°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% 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 Hongwŏn's 2nd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hongwŏn's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
1st coldest
Precipitation
30 mm
5.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:54 AM – 5:21 PM
Cloud cover
39%
2nd clearest
Wind
12 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Hongwŏn 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 0°C through the month.

A typical January day in Hongwŏn reaches about 0°C in the afternoon and slips back to -6°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -4°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-5
21-5
31-5
41-5
51-5
61-5
71-5
81-5
90-5
100-5
110-5
120-5
130-6
140-6
150-6
160-6
170-6
180-6
190-6
200-6
210-6
220-6
230-6
240-6
250-6
260-6
270-6
280-6
290-6
300-6
310-6

How January really feels in Hongwŏn

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
25 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Hongwŏn 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 / -6°305.86.49.50.0
Feb / -4°255.15.110.40.0
Mar / 305.33.611.70.6
Apr11° / 476.20.7133.2
May17° / 11°747.4014.25.6
Jun20° / 16°747014.86.6
Jul24° / 20°17212.2014.66.4
Aug25° / 21°18212.3013.66.4
Sep21° / 17°1028.3012.36.9
Oct16° / 11°516.8010.95.8
Nov / 5681.69.82.0
Dec / -3°356.55.19.20.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 32%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27228
37228
47228
57129
67129
77030
87030
96931
106832
116733
126733
136634
146634
156634
166535
176535
186535
196634
206634
216634
226733
236832
246832
256931
266931
277030
287030
297030
307030
317030

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Hongwŏn gets around 30 mm of rain and snow over 5.8 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 19% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11716
21716
31717
41717
51718
61818
71819
81920
91920
102021
112022
122123
132123
142124
152224
162224
172224
182224
192124
202123
212023
222022
231922
241921
251820
261820
271719
281719
291719
301719
311719

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 12 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

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 7:55 AM to 7:45 AM, and sunset from 5:07 PM to 5:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:555:07
29.27:555:08
39.27:565:09
49.27:565:10
59.27:565:11
69.37:565:11
79.37:565:12
89.37:565:13
99.37:555:14
109.37:555:15
119.37:555:16
129.47:555:17
139.47:555:18
149.47:555:19
159.47:545:20
169.57:545:21
179.57:545:22
189.57:535:23
199.57:535:24
209.57:525:25
219.67:525:26
229.67:515:27
239.67:515:29
249.77:505:30
259.77:505:31
269.77:495:32
279.77:485:33
289.87:485:34
299.87:475:35
309.87:465:37
319.97:455:38

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 5.88 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.51 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Hongwŏn

In seasonPeak

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

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

Hongwŏn's rainy season runs July–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 Hongwŏn?

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
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Hongwŏn.

What to pack for Hongwŏn in January

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

In January, Hongwŏn sees daytime highs around 0°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Hongwŏn in January

The nearest coast averages about 5°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 24°C and coldest in February near 4°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 5 to Sep 28 — about 2.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug24Refreshing
Sep22Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Hongwŏn 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 Hongwŏn peaks around August 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighVery highModerateLowAug 19UV 8Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Hongwŏn 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 Hongwŏn is worst in March — around 57 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.0× the cleanest month (September, 19 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorPoorModerateMar 1856 µg/m³Sep 1019 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan41Poor
Feb47Poor
Mar57Unhealthy
Apr50Poor
May41Poor
Jun26Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov33Moderate
Dec35Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Hongwŏn?

Hongwŏn sits at 40.0°N, 128.0°E, 29 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Samho-rodongjagu, 11 km away.

HŭngnamHamhŭngYŏnggwang-ŭpIwŏn-ŭpKowŏn-ŭp

Topography around Hongwŏn

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hongwŏn has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 228 m around an average of 20 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 998 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,541 m.

The land around Hongwŏn is covered by cropland (42%) and water (25%) within 3 km, water (38%) and trees (34%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) and water (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
228 m
16 km
998 m
80 km
2,541 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Samho-rodongjagu 11 km · Yuktae-dong 17 km · Sinp’o 20 km · Hŭngnam 34 km · Hamhŭng 38 km · Yŏnggwang-ŭp 43 km · Iwŏn-ŭp 68 km · Kowŏn-ŭp 89 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 Hongwŏn (40.0253°, 127.9558°, elevation 29 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).