Kaesŏng weather in December

In December, Kaesŏng sees average daytime highs of 3°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 21 mm of precipitation across 4.5 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to 2°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kaesŏng's 2nd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kaesŏng's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-5°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
21 mm
4.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
7:49 AM – 5:11 PM
Cloud cover
44%
2nd clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to 2°C by the end.

A typical December day in Kaesŏng reaches about 3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -5°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -2°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
16-3
26-3
36-3
45-3
55-3
65-4
75-4
84-4
94-4
104-4
114-5
124-5
134-5
143-5
153-5
163-5
173-5
183-5
193-6
203-6
213-6
223-6
233-6
242-6
252-6
262-6
272-6
282-6
292-7
302-7
312-7

How December really feels in Kaesŏng

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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
11 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Kaesŏng weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -7°163.52.29.70.0
Feb / -5°223.81.910.50.2
Mar10° / 335.30.911.72.7
Apr17° / 617.10.1135.9
May23° / 12°998.20147.1
Jun27° / 18°1249.7014.66.5
Jul28° / 22°30116.4014.44.9
Aug29° / 22°27315.1013.54.8
Sep26° / 16°1167.2012.37.1
Oct19° / 505.10117.1
Nov11° / 456.80.59.93.0
Dec / -5°214.51.79.40.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 36%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26139
36139
46139
56139
66238
76238
86337
96337
106436
116436
126436
136535
146535
156634
166634
176733
186733
196733
206733
216634
226634
236634
246634
256634
266634
276535
286535
296535
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Kaesŏng gets around 21 mm of rain and snow over 4.5 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 15% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1204
2195
3195
4195
5185
6185
7175
8175
9175
10165
11165
12165
13155
14155
15155
16145
17145
18135
19135
20135
21135
22136
23136
24136
25136
26137
27137
28137
29137
30137
31138

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December 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 December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:37 AM to 7:55 AM, and sunset from 5:10 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:375:10
29.57:385:10
39.57:395:10
49.57:395:10
59.57:405:10
69.57:415:10
79.57:425:10
89.57:435:10
99.47:445:10
109.47:445:10
119.47:455:10
129.47:465:10
139.47:475:11
149.47:475:11
159.47:485:11
169.47:495:11
179.47:495:12
189.47:505:12
199.47:505:12
209.47:515:13
219.47:515:13
229.47:525:14
239.47:525:14
249.47:535:15
259.47:535:15
269.47:545:16
279.47:545:16
289.47:545:17
299.47:545:18
309.47:555:18
319.47:555:19

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.32 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.32 kWh/m² to a high of 5.8 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 2.32 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
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Kaesŏng

In seasonPeak

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

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

Kaesŏng's rainy season runs July–August, 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 December a good time to visit Kaesŏng?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kaesŏng.

What to pack for Kaesŏng in December

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

In December, Kaesŏng sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Kaesŏng in December

The nearest coast averages about 9°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 42 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 7 to Oct 10 — about 3.2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug24Warm
Sep23Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov14Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Kaesŏng in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kaesŏng peaks around August 15 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 highHighModerateLowAug 15UV 8Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Kaesŏng in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Kaesŏng is worst in March — around 89 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.8× the cleanest month (August, 49 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyMar 1688 µg/m³Aug 1149 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan83Unhealthy
Feb80Unhealthy
Mar89Unhealthy
Apr78Unhealthy
May68Unhealthy
Jun60Unhealthy
Jul50Poor
Aug49Poor
Sep58Unhealthy
Oct76Unhealthy
Nov85Unhealthy
Dec80Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kaesŏng?

Kaesŏng sits at 38.0°N, 126.6°E, 42 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Paech’ŏn-ŭp, 22 km away.

Pongch’ŏn-ŭpYŏnan-ŭpGimpo-siGoyang-siYangju

Topography around Kaesŏng

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kaesŏng has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 235 m around an average of 70 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 749 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,218 m.

The land around Kaesŏng is covered by artificial surfaces (30%), grassland (29%) and cropland (26%) within 3 km, trees (40%) and cropland (36%) within 16 km, and trees (38%), cropland (24%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
235 m
16 km
749 m
80 km
1,218 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Paech’ŏn-ŭp 22 km · Munsan 24 km · Ganghwa-gun 26 km · Pongch’ŏn-ŭp 35 km · Yŏnan-ŭp 35 km · Gimpo-si 41 km · Goyang-si 43 km · Yangju 47 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 Kaesŏng (37.9708°, 126.5544°, elevation 42 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).