Hŭngnam weather in May

In May, Hŭngnam sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 83 mm of rain across 7.1 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% 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 Hŭngnam's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hŭngnam's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
6th warmest
Overnight low
12°
7th coldest
Rainfall
83 mm
7.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:20 AM – 7:31 PM
Cloud cover
53%
9th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Hŭngnam reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 19°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)
1139
2139
3139
41310
51410
61410
71410
81410
91411
101411
111411
121511
131511
141511
151512
161512
171512
181612
191612
201612
211613
221613
231613
241713
251713
261713
271714
281714
291714
301714
311814

How May really feels in Hŭngnam

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.

Hŭngnam weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 5th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25644
35644
45446
55347
65347
75347
85248
95248
105347
115347
125446
135446
145446
155545
165545
175644
185644
195545
205644
215644
225743
235644
245644
255545
265545
275446
285446
295347
305248
315149

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Hŭngnam gets around 83 mm of rain over 7.1 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 22% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
123
223
323
424
524
624
724
824
925
1025
1125
1225
1325
1424
1524
1624
1724
1824
1923
2023
2122
2222
2321
2421
2520
2620
2719
2818
2918
3017
3117

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
510000
610000
79910
89910
99910
109910
119820
129820
139730
149640
159550
169460
179370
189190
1990100
2088120
2186140
2284160
2382180
2480200
2576231
2673261
2770291
2866322
2962362
3058393
3153425

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

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 5:37 AM to 5:09 AM, and sunset from 7:17 PM to 7:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:377:17
213.75:367:18
313.75:347:19
413.85:337:20
513.85:327:21
613.85:317:22
713.95:297:23
813.95:287:24
914.05:277:25
1014.05:267:26
1114.05:257:27
1214.15:247:28
1314.15:237:29
1414.15:227:30
1514.25:217:30
1614.25:207:31
1714.25:197:32
1814.35:187:33
1914.35:177:34
2014.35:167:35
2114.35:167:36
2214.45:157:37
2314.45:147:38
2414.45:137:39
2514.45:137:40
2614.55:127:40
2714.55:117:41
2814.55:117:42
2914.55:107:43
3014.65:107:44
3114.65:097:44

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.91 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — May's 5.91 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
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Hŭngnam

In seasonPeak

In May, 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 May a good time to visit Hŭngnam?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Hŭngnam for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hŭngnam in May

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

In May, Hŭngnam sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

Sea temperature near Hŭngnam 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 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 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 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 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 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
May 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).