Hŭngnam weather in January

In January, Hŭngnam sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 32 mm of precipitation across 6 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 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 Hŭngnam's 2nd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hŭngnam's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
1st coldest
Precipitation
32 mm
6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:55 AM – 5:23 PM
Cloud cover
37%
2nd clearest
Wind
18 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.5 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

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 Hŭngnam reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -2°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12-3
22-3
32-3
42-3
52-3
62-3
72-3
81-3
91-3
101-3
111-3
121-3
131-3
141-3
151-3
161-3
171-3
181-4
191-4
201-4
211-4
221-4
231-4
241-4
251-4
261-4
271-4
281-4
291-4
301-4
311-4

How January really feels in Hŭngnam

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Hŭngnam 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 / -3°3265.59.50.0
Feb / -2°254.84.110.40.0
Mar / 3052.511.70.4
Apr10° / 516.10.4132.7
May15° / 12°837.1014.25.1
Jun19° / 17°837.1014.86.5
Jul23° / 21°19012.4014.56.4
Aug25° / 22°19912.1013.66.5
Sep21° / 19°1157.8012.37.0
Oct17° / 13°596.7010.95.9
Nov10° / 668.10.89.82.4
Dec / -1°3563.39.20.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in January.

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 (%)
17426
27426
37327
47327
57327
67327
77228
87228
97030
107030
116931
126931
136832
146832
156832
166832
176832
186832
196832
206931
216931
226931
237030
247030
257228
267228
277228
287327
297327
307327
317327

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Hŭngnam gets around 32 mm of rain and snow over 6 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 23% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11613
21614
31614
41615
51715
61716
71817
81917
92018
102019
112120
122220
132221
142321
152321
162321
172321
182321
192221
202220
212120
222119
232018
241917
251817
261816
271715
281615
291615
301615
311615

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 18 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light 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 7:56 AM to 7:46 AM, and sunset from 5:09 PM to 5:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:565:09
29.27:565:10
39.27:565:11
49.37:565:12
59.37:565:12
69.37:565:13
79.37:565:14
89.37:565:15
99.37:565:16
109.37:565:17
119.47:565:18
129.47:565:19
139.47:565:20
149.47:555:21
159.47:555:22
169.57:555:23
179.57:545:24
189.57:545:25
199.57:545:26
209.67:535:27
219.67:535:28
229.67:525:29
239.67:525:30
249.77:515:31
259.77:505:33
269.77:505:34
279.87:495:35
289.87:485:36
299.87:485:37
309.97:475:38
319.97:465:39

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.5 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.16 kWh/m² to a high of 5.91 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.5 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Hŭngnam

In seasonPeak

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

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

Hŭngnam'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 Hŭngnam?

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
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Hŭngnam.

What to pack for Hŭngnam in January

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

In January, Hŭngnam sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Hŭngnam 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 21 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 Hŭngnam 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 Hŭngnam peaks around August 20 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighVery highModerateLowAug 20UV 8Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Hŭngnam 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 Hŭngnam is worst in March — around 96 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.3× the cleanest month (July, 43 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyMar 996 µg/m³Jul 1943 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan95Unhealthy
Feb96Unhealthy
Mar96Unhealthy
Apr80Unhealthy
May64Unhealthy
Jun51Poor
Jul43Poor
Aug46Poor
Sep62Unhealthy
Oct83Unhealthy
Nov87Unhealthy
Dec84Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Hŭngnam?

Hŭngnam sits at 39.8°N, 127.6°E, 3 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Hamhŭng, 12 km away.

HongwŏnYuktae-dongSinp’oKowŏn-ŭpWŏnsan

Topography around Hŭngnam

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hŭngnam has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 232 m around an average of 35 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 595 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,187 m.

The land around Hŭngnam is covered by artificial surfaces (29%), cropland (23%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, water (41%) and cropland (27%) within 16 km, and trees (53%) and water (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
232 m
16 km
595 m
80 km
2,187 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Hamhŭng 12 km · Samho-rodongjagu 24 km · Yŏnggwang-ŭp 25 km · Hongwŏn 34 km · Yuktae-dong 49 km · Sinp’o 53 km · Kowŏn-ŭp 56 km · Wŏnsan 78 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 Hŭngnam (39.842°, 127.6321°, elevation 3 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).