Hwadae in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Hwadae sees average daytime highs around 0°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 112 mm of precipitation over about 25 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 0°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Hwadae's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Hwadae's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 0°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -5°C
- Precipitation
- 112 mm
- 25 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Hwadae in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 0°C.
A typical winter day in Hwadae reaches about 0°C and drops to -5°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Hwadae
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Hwadae weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -1° / -7° | 35 | 8.7 | 10.4 | 9.4 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 0° / -6° | 28 | 6.5 | 7.2 | 10.4 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 4° / -1° | 31 | 6.1 | 4.9 | 11.7 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 10° / 4° | 39 | 6.8 | 1 | 13.1 | 2.5 |
| May | 15° / 9° | 63 | 8.3 | 0 | 14.2 | 4.7 |
| Jun | 19° / 14° | 56 | 7.6 | 0 | 14.9 | 6.2 |
| Jul | 23° / 19° | 121 | 10.9 | 0 | 14.6 | 6.4 |
| Aug | 24° / 20° | 138 | 12.6 | 0 | 13.6 | 6.4 |
| Sep | 21° / 16° | 90 | 7.6 | 0 | 12.3 | 6.8 |
| Oct | 16° / 10° | 51 | 7 | 0.2 | 10.9 | 5.4 |
| Nov | 8° / 3° | 54 | 8.8 | 3.5 | 9.7 | 1.5 |
| Dec | 2° / -4° | 49 | 10 | 9.8 | 9.1 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Hwadae gets around 112 mm of rain and snow over 25 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 12 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min in early December to 10 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Hwadae
In winter, Hwadae overlaps its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Hwadae sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Hwadae's rainy season runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Hwadae?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Hwadae.
What to pack for Hwadae in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Hwadae sees daytime highs around 0°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 25 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Hwadae in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 6°C across winter — 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 22°C and coldest in February near 4°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 25 to Sep 15 — about 1.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 6 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 12 | 8 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Bracing |
| Feb | 4 | Bracing |
| Mar | 5 | Bracing |
| Apr | 7 | Bracing |
| May | 10 | Bracing |
| Jun | 15 | Bracing |
| Jul | 19 | Cool |
| Aug | 22 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 20 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 17 | Cool |
| Nov | 12 | Bracing |
| Dec | 8 | Bracing |
UV index in Hwadae in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hwadae peaks around August 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | High | High | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 7 | High |
| Jul | 6 | High |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Moderate |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Hwadae in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Hwadae is worst in April — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.3× the cleanest month (September, 12 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 18 | 25 | 36 | 39 | 28 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 15 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | Moderate |
| Feb | 25 | Moderate |
| Mar | 36 | Poor |
| Apr | 39 | Poor |
| May | 28 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 13 | Moderate |
| Aug | 12 | Good |
| Sep | 12 | Good |
| Oct | 16 | Moderate |
| Nov | 19 | Moderate |
| Dec | 15 | Moderate |
Where is Hwadae?
Hwadae sits at 40.8°N, 129.5°E, 17 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Kilju, 20 km away.
Topography around Hwadae
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Hwadae.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Hwadae has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 307 m around an average of 69 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 938 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,282 m.
The land around Hwadae is covered by cropland (48%) and grassland (27%) within 3 km, water (35%), trees (30%) and cropland (20%) within 16 km, and trees (46%) and water (38%) within 80 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 Hwadae (40.8381°, 129.4969°, elevation 17 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.