Hongwŏn weather in May

In May, Hongwŏn sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 74 mm of rain across 7.4 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Hongwŏn's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hongwŏn's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
5th warmest
Overnight low
11°
8th coldest
Rainfall
74 mm
7.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:18 AM – 7:31 PM
Cloud cover
55%
9th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Hongwŏn is human settlement in North Korea.

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 15°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in Hongwŏn reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 21°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)
1148
2149
3159
4159
5159
6159
71510
81510
91510
101610
111610
121610
131611
141611
151611
161611
171711
181711
191712
201712
211712
221712
231812
241812
251813
261813
271813
281813
291813
301913
311914

How May really feels in Hongwŏn

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.

Hongwŏn weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25644
35545
45446
55347
65248
75248
85248
95248
105248
115248
125248
135248
145248
155248
165347
175347
185347
195446
205446
215446
225545
235446
245446
255446
265347
275347
285248
295149
304951
315050

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Hongwŏn gets around 74 mm of rain over 7.4 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 23% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
224
324
424
524
625
725
825
925
1024
1124
1224
1324
1424
1524
1624
1724
1824
1924
2024
2123
2223
2323
2422
2522
2621
2721
2820
2919
3019
3118

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 88% 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
59910
69910
79910
89910
99820
109820
119730
129730
139640
149550
159460
169370
179280
1890100
1989110
2088120
2186140
2284160
2383170
2480191
2577221
2675241
2772271
2869292
2965323
3062353
3158384

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:35 AM to 5:07 AM, and sunset from 7:16 PM to 7:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:357:16
213.75:347:17
313.75:337:18
413.85:317:19
513.85:307:20
613.95:297:21
713.95:287:22
813.95:277:23
914.05:257:24
1014.05:247:25
1114.05:237:26
1214.15:227:27
1314.15:217:28
1414.15:207:29
1514.25:197:30
1614.25:187:31
1714.25:177:32
1814.35:167:32
1914.35:167:33
2014.35:157:34
2114.45:147:35
2214.45:137:36
2314.45:127:37
2414.45:127:38
2514.55:117:39
2614.55:107:40
2714.55:107:40
2814.55:097:41
2914.65:087:42
3014.65:087:43
3114.65:077:44

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.88 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — May's 5.88 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Hongwŏn

In seasonPeak

In May, 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 May a good time to visit Hongwŏn?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.1
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Hongwŏn for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hongwŏn in May

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

In May, Hongwŏn sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

Sea temperature near Hongwŏn in May

The nearest coast averages about 12°C in May — 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 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 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 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 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
May 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).