Climate and average weather in Hwasŏng

In Hwasŏng, the summers are humid, warm, wet, and mostly cloudy and the winters are very cold, snowy, and mostly clear.

Best: early May to mid October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Hwasŏng typically varies from -14°C to 25°C, and is rarely below -21°C or above 30°C. August is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Hwasŏng for warm-weather activities is from early May to mid October.

Hottest
Aug
25°
Coldest
Jan
-14°
Wettest
Aug
174 mm
Driest
Feb
24 mm
Rain / yr
849 mm
115 wet days
Daylight
9.0–15.0 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
98 m
41.3°N
Clearest
Feb
42% cloud

Hwasŏng weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early May to mid October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Hwasŏng, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 4.6 months, from May 16 to October 1, with daily high temperatures above 18°C. The hottest month of the year in Hwasŏng is August, with an average high of 25°C and low of 18°C.

The cool season lasts 3.2 months, from November 29 to March 4, with daily high temperatures below 2°C. The coldest month of the year in Hwasŏng is January, with an average low of -14°C and high of -4°C.

Days typically run about 9°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 11°C) in February.

-20°-10°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan-4-14
Feb-1-12
Mar4-6
Apr122
May188
Jun2213
Jul2517
Aug2518
Sep2112
Oct155
Nov6-3
Dec-1-10

How hot and cold Hwasŏng really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -19°C (around January 26), with roughly 169 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C) 102 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.

-20°-10°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°C)Air high (°C)Feels-like low (°C)Air low (°C)
Jan-4-4-18-14
Feb-2-1-17-12
Mar44-9-6
Apr1212-12
May181878
Jun22221313
Jul25251717
Aug25251818
Sep21211212
Oct151545
Nov66-5-3
Dec-2-1-13-10

Average hourly temperature in Hwasŏng

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on August afternoons, near 25°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -14°C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Hwasŏng weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-4° / -14°266.78.59.40.0
Feb-2° / -13°245.46.310.30.0
Mar / -6°316.45.811.70.4
Apr12° / 477.93.513.13.6
May18° / 7311.30.514.35.7
Jun22° / 13°7712.5014.96.0
Jul25° / 17°14315.4014.75.8
Aug25° / 18°17416.7013.75.7
Sep21° / 12°1098.9012.36.6
Oct15° / 557.10.810.95.1
Nov / -3°518.15.29.70.9
Dec-2° / -10°408.89.89.10.0

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Hwasŏng gets about 849 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 4.2 months, from around May 7 to Sep 11, peaking in August at about 56% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 30.

August is the wettest month by volume, with 174 mm over about 17 wet days; February is the driest, with 24 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetAug 4 · 56%Jan 30 · 18%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan227
Feb195
Mar206
Apr268
May3611
Jun4213
Jul5015
Aug5217
Sep319
Oct227
Nov288
Dec289

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Hwasŏng collects about 849 mm of rain across 115 wet days — roughly 71 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. August is the wettest month with 174 mm, while February is the driest at just 24 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 50% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0255075100125150175200JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec262431477377143174109555140
Rainfall (mm)Rain daysSnow days
Jan2679
Feb2456
Mar3166
Apr4784
May73111
Jun77130
Jul143150
Aug174170
Sep10990
Oct5571
Nov5185
Dec40910

Snow in Hwasŏng

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Hwasŏng averages about 40 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 15 to May 16 — about 7 months.

December is snowiest, with roughly 9 days of snow and an estimated 43 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 173 cm of snow.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonDec 9
Snow daysSnowfall (cm)
Jan931
Feb627
Mar623
Apr416
May12
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct12
Nov530
Dec1043

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Hwasŏng, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around September 16 and lasts for 7.0 months, ending around April 17. The clearest month is October, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 69% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 18 and lasts for 5.0 months, ending around September 15. The cloudiest month is July, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 71% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecOct 30 · 72%Jul 25 · 28%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastclearercloudierclearer
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan6634
Feb6634
Mar6238
Apr5446
May4654
Jun3664
Jul2971
Aug3268
Sep5347
Oct6931
Nov6634
Dec6535

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 15, brings about 15 hours of light; the shortest, around December 15, only 9 hours — a swing of roughly 6 hours.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.47:515:11
Feb10.37:265:47
Mar11.76:426:21
Apr13.15:496:55
May14.35:097:27
Jun14.94:547:51
Jul14.75:077:49
Aug13.75:367:16
Sep12.36:086:24
Oct10.96:415:33
Nov9.77:184:57
Dec9.17:474:49

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Hwasŏng averages about 12 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 5 and 17 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 6.8 months, from around Sep 15 to Apr 9. The sunniest month is October, with roughly 16 sunny days (bright).

The greyest month is July, down near 5 sunny days — about 70% fewer than the October peak.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsunniergreyersunniergloomymixedbrightOct 3017 daysJul 235 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan16Bright
Feb15Bright
Mar14Mixed
Apr11Mixed
May9Mixed
Jun7Gloomy
Jul5Gloomy
Aug6Gloomy
Sep12Mixed
Oct17Bright
Nov15Bright
Dec15Bright

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Hwasŏng, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 2.9 months, from around June 18 to September 14. The muggiest month is August, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 85% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 15 to June 17, and May is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecMay 8 · 100%Aug 3 · 4%oppressivehumidmuggycomfortabledrycomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan1000000
Feb1000000
Mar1000000
Apr1000000
May964000
Jun42391720
Jul31740309
Aug312323914
Sep52271650
Oct982000
Nov1000000
Dec1000000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Wind in Hwasŏng is steady company: average speeds sit near 6 km/hcalm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmlight breezeApr 18 · 7 km/hAug 3 · 5 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan6calm
Feb6calm
Mar7calm
Apr7calm
May7calm
Jun6calm
Jul5calm
Aug5calm
Sep6calm
Oct6calm
Nov6calm
Dec6calm

Hazard calendar for Hwasŏng

In seasonPeak

When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.

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

Hwasŏng'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

Best time to visit Hwasŏng

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Hwasŏng throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around mid May, Hwasŏng is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Hwasŏng for general outdoor tourist activities is from early May to mid October, with a peak score in the third week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 17 · 6.7

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.0poor
Feb0.0poor
Mar0.4poor
Apr3.5fair
May5.7good
Jun6.0good
Jul5.8good
Aug5.7good
Sep6.6good
Oct5.0fair
Nov0.9poor
Dec0.0poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Hwasŏng for hot-weather activities is from late June to mid September, with a peak score in the second week of July.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 13 · 5.2

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Hwasŏng, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around August (highs near 25°C), the essentials are light clothes and rain gear. In the cold season around January (highs near -4°C), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In August, Hwasŏng sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 17 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Hwasŏng

Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 35 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 4°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 27 to Sep 12 — about 1.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar4Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul19Cool
Aug22Refreshing
Sep20Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov12Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index (midday) in Hwasŏng by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hwasŏng peaks around August 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 18UV 8Dec 19UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Hwasŏng

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in August the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 7.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 4 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb00
Mar3.50
Apr60
May7.53.5
Jun7.53
Jul71.5
Aug7.54
Sep6.52.5
Oct40
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Hwasŏng by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Hwasŏng is worst in April — around 42 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.5× the cleanest month (August, 12 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateModerateApr 1241 µg/m³Aug 2112 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan25Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar38Poor
Apr42Poor
May28Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug12Good
Sep12Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Hwasŏng typically lasts about 212 days, from around April 9 to November 6 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 25 to October 21.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonMar 1910%Apr 950%Apr 2590%Oct 2190%Nov 650%Nov 2510%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan031
Feb128
Mar1031
Apr6823
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct929
Nov3030
Dec231

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Hwasŏng banks about 1,241 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around August.

05001,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr1
May96
Jun220
Jul341
Aug353
Sep199
Oct30
Nov0
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Hwasŏng receives about 4.0 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.0 and 5.7 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 7.1 months, from around Feb 27 to Sep 29. The brightest month is May, averaging about 5.6 kWh/m² (bright).

The dimmest month is December, down near 2.0 kWh/m² — roughly 64% less than the May peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseMay 295.7 kWhDec 92.0 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan2.4Moderate
Feb3.5Moderate
Mar4.8Bright
Apr5.5Bright
May5.6Bright
Jun5.4Bright
Jul4.6Bright
Aug4.3Bright
Sep4.3Bright
Oct3.5Moderate
Nov2.4Moderate
Dec2.0Moderate

Where is Hwasŏng?

Hwasŏng sits at 41.3°N, 129.5°E, 98 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Myŏnggan-dong, 13 km away.

KiljuKyŏngsŏngHwadaeRanamChongjin

Topography around Hwasŏng

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hwasŏng has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 337 m around an average of 147 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,245 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,500 m.

The land around Hwasŏng is covered by cropland (73%) within 3 km, trees (53%) and cropland (30%) within 16 km, and trees (56%) and water (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
337 m
16 km
1,245 m
80 km
2,500 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Myŏnggan-dong 13 km · Myŏngch’ŏn 21 km · Ŏrang 25 km · Kilju 35 km · Kyŏngsŏng 38 km · Hwadae 46 km · Ranam 53 km · Chongjin 65 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 Hwasŏng (41.2556°, 129.4928°, elevation 98 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).