Kaesŏng weather in May
In May, Kaesŏng sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 99 mm of rain across 8.2 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.
Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 25°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 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kaesŏng's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kaesŏng's year-round climate.
- Daytime high
- 23°
- 5th warmest
- Overnight low
- 12°
- 8th coldest
- Rainfall
- 99 mm
- 8.2 wet days
- Daylight
- 14 hours
- 5:29 AM – 7:31 PM
- Cloud cover
- 54%
- 8th clearest
- Wind
- 9 km/h
- 6th windiest
- Solar energy
- 5.8 kWh/m²
- Travel score
- 7.1
- out of 10
Temperature in May
Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.
A typical May day in Kaesŏng reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Avg low (°C) | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | 9 |
| 2 | 21 | 10 |
| 3 | 21 | 10 |
| 4 | 21 | 10 |
| 5 | 21 | 10 |
| 6 | 21 | 10 |
| 7 | 21 | 11 |
| 8 | 22 | 11 |
| 9 | 22 | 11 |
| 10 | 22 | 11 |
| 11 | 22 | 11 |
| 12 | 22 | 11 |
| 13 | 22 | 12 |
| 14 | 22 | 12 |
| 15 | 23 | 12 |
| 16 | 23 | 12 |
| 17 | 23 | 12 |
| 18 | 23 | 12 |
| 19 | 23 | 13 |
| 20 | 23 | 13 |
| 21 | 24 | 13 |
| 22 | 24 | 13 |
| 23 | 24 | 13 |
| 24 | 24 | 13 |
| 25 | 24 | 14 |
| 26 | 25 | 14 |
| 27 | 25 | 14 |
| 28 | 25 | 14 |
| 29 | 25 | 14 |
| 30 | 25 | 15 |
| 31 | 25 | 15 |
How May really feels in Kaesŏng
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.
May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Kaesŏng weather by month
How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1° / -7° | 16 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 9.7 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 5° / -5° | 22 | 3.8 | 1.9 | 10.5 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 10° / 0° | 33 | 5.3 | 0.9 | 11.7 | 2.7 |
| Apr | 17° / 6° | 61 | 7.1 | 0.1 | 13 | 5.9 |
| May | 23° / 12° | 99 | 8.2 | 0 | 14 | 7.1 |
| Jun | 27° / 18° | 124 | 9.7 | 0 | 14.6 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 28° / 22° | 301 | 16.4 | 0 | 14.4 | 4.9 |
| Aug | 29° / 22° | 273 | 15.1 | 0 | 13.5 | 4.8 |
| Sep | 26° / 16° | 116 | 7.2 | 0 | 12.3 | 7.1 |
| Oct | 19° / 8° | 50 | 5.1 | 0 | 11 | 7.1 |
| Nov | 11° / 1° | 45 | 6.8 | 0.5 | 9.9 | 3.0 |
| Dec | 3° / -5° | 21 | 4.5 | 1.7 | 9.4 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in May
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May.
Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 53 | 53 | 53 | 52 | 51 | 51 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 50 | 51 | 51 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 54 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 52 | 52 | 51 |
| Cloudier (%) | 47 | 47 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 49 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 50 | 49 | 49 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 46 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 48 | 48 | 49 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 53 | 47 |
| 2 | 53 | 47 |
| 3 | 53 | 47 |
| 4 | 52 | 48 |
| 5 | 51 | 49 |
| 6 | 51 | 49 |
| 7 | 52 | 48 |
| 8 | 52 | 48 |
| 9 | 52 | 48 |
| 10 | 51 | 49 |
| 11 | 51 | 49 |
| 12 | 51 | 49 |
| 13 | 51 | 49 |
| 14 | 51 | 49 |
| 15 | 50 | 50 |
| 16 | 51 | 49 |
| 17 | 51 | 49 |
| 18 | 52 | 48 |
| 19 | 52 | 48 |
| 20 | 52 | 48 |
| 21 | 53 | 47 |
| 22 | 53 | 47 |
| 23 | 53 | 47 |
| 24 | 53 | 47 |
| 25 | 54 | 46 |
| 26 | 53 | 47 |
| 27 | 53 | 47 |
| 28 | 53 | 47 |
| 29 | 52 | 48 |
| 30 | 52 | 48 |
| 31 | 51 | 49 |
Chance of precipitation in May
Kaesŏng gets around 99 mm of rain over 8.2 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 26% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain chance (%) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Rain chance (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 28 |
| 2 | 28 |
| 3 | 28 |
| 4 | 28 |
| 5 | 28 |
| 6 | 28 |
| 7 | 28 |
| 8 | 28 |
| 9 | 28 |
| 10 | 28 |
| 11 | 28 |
| 12 | 28 |
| 13 | 28 |
| 14 | 28 |
| 15 | 28 |
| 16 | 28 |
| 17 | 28 |
| 18 | 27 |
| 19 | 27 |
| 20 | 27 |
| 21 | 26 |
| 22 | 26 |
| 23 | 25 |
| 24 | 25 |
| 25 | 24 |
| 26 | 24 |
| 27 | 23 |
| 28 | 23 |
| 29 | 22 |
| 30 | 22 |
| 31 | 22 |
Humidity in May
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 73% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 91 | 91 | 90 | 89 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 86 | 85 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 81 | 79 | 77 | 75 | 72 | 71 | 68 | 65 | 63 | 60 | 57 | 55 | 52 | 49 | 46 | 44 | 41 |
| Comfortable (%) | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 33 | 35 | 36 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 40 | 41 |
| Humid (%) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 91 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | 91 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 90 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | 89 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | 88 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | 88 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | 87 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | 87 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | 86 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | 86 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | 85 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | 84 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | 83 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | 82 | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | 81 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | 79 | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | 77 | 21 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | 75 | 23 | 2 | 0 |
| 19 | 72 | 25 | 3 | 0 |
| 20 | 71 | 26 | 3 | 0 |
| 21 | 68 | 28 | 4 | 0 |
| 22 | 65 | 30 | 5 | 0 |
| 23 | 63 | 31 | 6 | 0 |
| 24 | 60 | 33 | 7 | 0 |
| 25 | 57 | 35 | 8 | 0 |
| 26 | 55 | 36 | 9 | 0 |
| 27 | 52 | 38 | 10 | 0 |
| 28 | 49 | 39 | 12 | 0 |
| 29 | 46 | 40 | 14 | 0 |
| 30 | 44 | 40 | 16 | 1 |
| 31 | 41 | 41 | 18 | 1 |
Wind in May
Winds average 9 km/h in May.
Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | calm |
| 2 | 10 | calm |
| 3 | 10 | calm |
| 4 | 10 | calm |
| 5 | 10 | calm |
| 6 | 10 | calm |
| 7 | 10 | calm |
| 8 | 10 | calm |
| 9 | 10 | calm |
| 10 | 10 | calm |
| 11 | 10 | calm |
| 12 | 10 | calm |
| 13 | 10 | calm |
| 14 | 9 | calm |
| 15 | 9 | calm |
| 16 | 9 | calm |
| 17 | 9 | calm |
| 18 | 9 | calm |
| 19 | 9 | calm |
| 20 | 9 | calm |
| 21 | 9 | calm |
| 22 | 9 | calm |
| 23 | 9 | calm |
| 24 | 9 | calm |
| 25 | 9 | calm |
| 26 | 9 | calm |
| 27 | 9 | calm |
| 28 | 9 | calm |
| 29 | 9 | calm |
| 30 | 9 | calm |
| 31 | 8 | calm |
Sunrise & sunset in May
Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:44 AM to 5:19 AM, and sunset from 7:18 PM to 7:44 PM.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 13.9 | 13.9 | 13.9 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 14.1 | 14.1 | 14.1 | 14.2 | 14.2 | 14.2 | 14.2 | 14.3 | 14.3 | 14.3 | 14.3 | 14.4 | 14.4 | 14.4 | 14.4 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:44 | 5:43 | 5:42 | 5:41 | 5:40 | 5:39 | 5:37 | 5:36 | 5:35 | 5:34 | 5:33 | 5:32 | 5:31 | 5:30 | 5:30 | 5:29 | 5:28 | 5:27 | 5:26 | 5:25 | 5:25 | 5:24 | 5:23 | 5:23 | 5:22 | 5:21 | 5:21 | 5:20 | 5:20 | 5:19 | 5:19 |
| Sunset (PM) | 7:18 | 7:19 | 7:19 | 7:20 | 7:21 | 7:22 | 7:23 | 7:24 | 7:25 | 7:26 | 7:27 | 7:28 | 7:29 | 7:30 | 7:30 | 7:31 | 7:32 | 7:33 | 7:34 | 7:35 | 7:36 | 7:37 | 7:37 | 7:38 | 7:39 | 7:40 | 7:41 | 7:41 | 7:42 | 7:43 | 7:44 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13.6 | 5:44 | 7:18 |
| 2 | 13.6 | 5:43 | 7:19 |
| 3 | 13.6 | 5:42 | 7:19 |
| 4 | 13.7 | 5:41 | 7:20 |
| 5 | 13.7 | 5:40 | 7:21 |
| 6 | 13.7 | 5:39 | 7:22 |
| 7 | 13.8 | 5:37 | 7:23 |
| 8 | 13.8 | 5:36 | 7:24 |
| 9 | 13.8 | 5:35 | 7:25 |
| 10 | 13.9 | 5:34 | 7:26 |
| 11 | 13.9 | 5:33 | 7:27 |
| 12 | 13.9 | 5:32 | 7:28 |
| 13 | 14.0 | 5:31 | 7:29 |
| 14 | 14.0 | 5:30 | 7:30 |
| 15 | 14.0 | 5:30 | 7:30 |
| 16 | 14.0 | 5:29 | 7:31 |
| 17 | 14.1 | 5:28 | 7:32 |
| 18 | 14.1 | 5:27 | 7:33 |
| 19 | 14.1 | 5:26 | 7:34 |
| 20 | 14.2 | 5:25 | 7:35 |
| 21 | 14.2 | 5:25 | 7:36 |
| 22 | 14.2 | 5:24 | 7:37 |
| 23 | 14.2 | 5:23 | 7:37 |
| 24 | 14.3 | 5:23 | 7:38 |
| 25 | 14.3 | 5:22 | 7:39 |
| 26 | 14.3 | 5:21 | 7:40 |
| 27 | 14.3 | 5:21 | 7:41 |
| 28 | 14.4 | 5:20 | 7:41 |
| 29 | 14.4 | 5:20 | 7:42 |
| 30 | 14.4 | 5:19 | 7:43 |
| 31 | 14.4 | 5:19 | 7:44 |
Solar energy in May
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.8 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.
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 — May's 5.8 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 2 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 3 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 4 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 5 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 6 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 7 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 8 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 9 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 10 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 11 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 12 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 13 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 14 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 15 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 16 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 17 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 18 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 19 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 20 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 21 | 5.9 | Bright |
| 22 | 5.9 | Bright |
| 23 | 5.9 | Bright |
| 24 | 6.0 | Bright |
| 25 | 6.0 | Bright |
| 26 | 6.0 | Bright |
| 27 | 6.0 | Intense |
| 28 | 6.0 | Intense |
| 29 | 6.0 | Intense |
| 30 | 6.0 | Intense |
| 31 | 6.0 | Intense |
Hazard calendar for Kaesŏng
In May, 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.
Is May a good time to visit Kaesŏng?
Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).
May is one of the better times to visit Kaesŏng for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Kaesŏng in May
From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In May, Kaesŏng sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Kaesŏng in May
The nearest coast averages about 13°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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 5 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 9 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Bracing |
| Feb | 4 | Bracing |
| Mar | 5 | Bracing |
| Apr | 8 | Bracing |
| May | 13 | Bracing |
| Jun | 17 | Cool |
| Jul | 21 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 24 | Warm |
| Sep | 23 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 19 | Cool |
| Nov | 14 | Bracing |
| Dec | 9 | Bracing |
UV index in Kaesŏng in May
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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 7 | High |
| Jul | 7 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Air quality in Kaesŏng in May
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 83 | 80 | 89 | 78 | 68 | 60 | 50 | 49 | 58 | 76 | 85 | 80 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 83 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 80 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 89 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 78 | Unhealthy |
| May | 68 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 60 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 50 | Poor |
| Aug | 49 | Poor |
| Sep | 58 | Unhealthy |
| Oct | 76 | Unhealthy |
| Nov | 85 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 80 | Unhealthy |
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.
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.
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).