Iwŏn-ŭp weather in May

In May, Iwŏn-ŭp sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 66 mm of rain across 7.2 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 Iwŏn-ŭp's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Iwŏn-ŭp's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
6th warmest
Overnight low
10°
7th coldest
Rainfall
66 mm
7.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:15 AM – 7:28 PM
Cloud cover
56%
9th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Iwŏn-ŭp 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 14°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Iwŏn-ŭp reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 5°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)
1138
2138
3148
4149
5149
6149
7149
8149
9149
10149
111510
121510
131510
141510
151510
161510
171611
181611
191611
201611
211611
221611
231612
241712
251712
261712
271712
281712
291713
301713
311713

How May really feels in Iwŏn-ŭp

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.

Iwŏn-ŭp weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-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°316.67.39.50.0
Feb / -4°235.15.410.40.0
Mar / 285.23.811.70.5
Apr11° / 406.10.8132.9
May15° / 10°667.2014.25.1
Jun19° / 15°626.1014.86.5
Jul23° / 20°14110.1014.66.6
Aug24° / 21°15011.2013.66.7
Sep21° / 17°896.8012.37.0
Oct16° / 11°465.70.110.95.8
Nov / 497.229.81.9
Dec / -3°376.95.89.20.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25644
35545
45545
55446
65248
75248
85248
95149
105149
115050
125050
135149
145050
155050
165050
175050
185050
195050
205050
215050
225149
235149
245149
255149
265149
275149
285149
295050
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Iwŏn-ŭp gets around 66 mm of rain over 7.2 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 24% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
123
223
323
423
523
623
723
823
923
1023
1124
1224
1324
1424
1524
1624
1724
1824
1924
2024
2124
2224
2323
2423
2522
2622
2721
2821
2920
3019
3119

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 93% 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
710000
89910
99910
109910
119910
129910
139820
149820
159730
169730
179640
189550
199460
209370
219280
229190
2390100
2488120
2586140
2684160
2782180
2879210
2975241
3072271
3169301

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 5:32 AM to 5:04 AM, and sunset from 7:13 PM to 7:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:327:13
213.75:317:14
313.85:297:15
413.85:287:16
513.85:277:17
613.95:267:18
713.95:247:20
814.05:237:21
914.05:227:22
1014.05:217:23
1114.15:207:24
1214.15:197:25
1314.15:187:26
1414.25:177:27
1514.25:167:28
1614.25:157:28
1714.35:147:29
1814.35:137:30
1914.35:127:31
2014.45:117:32
2114.45:107:33
2214.45:107:34
2314.45:097:35
2414.55:087:36
2514.55:077:37
2614.55:077:38
2714.55:067:39
2814.65:057:39
2914.65:057:40
3014.65:047:41
3114.65:047:42

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.87 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.06 kWh/m² to a high of 5.87 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.87 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
236.0Bright
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Iwŏn-ŭp

In seasonPeak

In May, Iwŏn-ŭp sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Iwŏn-ŭp sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Iwŏn-ŭp'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 Iwŏn-ŭp?

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 Iwŏn-ŭp for sightseeing.

What to pack for Iwŏn-ŭp in May

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

In May, Iwŏn-ŭp sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

Sea temperature near Iwŏn-ŭp in May

The nearest coast averages about 11°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 19 km away) is warmest in August at about 23°C and coldest in February near 5°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 15 to Sep 22 — about 2.3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan6Bracing
Feb5Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun16Cool
Jul20Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct17Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Iwŏn-ŭp 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 Iwŏn-ŭp 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 18UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Iwŏn-ŭp 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 Iwŏn-ŭp is worst in April — around 47 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.7× the cleanest month (August, 17 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateApr 947 µg/m³Aug 2217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan29Moderate
Feb36Poor
Mar46Poor
Apr47Poor
May36Poor
Jun25Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Iwŏn-ŭp?

Iwŏn-ŭp sits at 40.3°N, 128.7°E, 2 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Changam-ch’on, 33 km away.

Changam-ch’onSinp’oYuktae-dongHongwŏnSamho-rodongjaguKapsan-ŭpKiljuHwadae

Topography around Iwŏn-ŭp

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Iwŏn-ŭp has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 100 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,000 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,358 m.

The land around Iwŏn-ŭp is covered by cropland (47%) and water (38%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and water (32%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) and water (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
100 m
16 km
1,000 m
80 km
2,358 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Changam-ch’on 33 km · Sinp’o 50 km · Yuktae-dong 54 km · Hongwŏn 68 km · Samho-rodongjagu 79 km · Kapsan-ŭp 91 km · Kilju 91 km · Hwadae 91 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 Iwŏn-ŭp (40.3231°, 128.6553°, elevation 2 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).