Kangdong-ŭp weather in January

In January, Kangdong-ŭp sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -10°C, with 15 mm of precipitation across 3.3 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kangdong-ŭp's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kangdong-ŭp's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-10°
1st coldest
Precipitation
15 mm
3.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:59 AM – 5:31 PM
Cloud cover
39%
1st clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kangdong-ŭp reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -10°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 4°C cooler than February.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-1-10
2-1-10
3-1-10
4-1-10
5-1-10
6-1-10
7-1-10
8-1-10
9-1-10
10-1-11
11-1-11
12-1-11
13-1-11
14-1-11
15-1-11
16-1-11
17-1-11
18-1-11
19-1-11
20-1-11
21-1-11
22-1-11
23-1-11
24-1-11
25-1-10
26-1-10
270-10
280-10
290-10
300-10
310-10

How January really feels in Kangdong-ŭp

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

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

Kangdong-ŭp weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -10°153.33.59.60.0
Feb / -7°2343.110.50.0
Mar / -1°315.41.811.72.1
Apr17° / 607.40.3135.6
May22° / 11°1038.7014.17.0
Jun26° / 17°12011.2014.76.3
Jul28° / 21°30517014.55.0
Aug28° / 21°25314.6013.55.1
Sep25° / 15°1027.2012.37.3
Oct18° / 506.60116.5
Nov / 537.819.92.0
Dec / -7°275.73.99.30.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 30%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26931
36931
46931
56931
66931
76931
86931
96931
106931
116832
126832
136832
146832
156832
166832
176832
186931
196931
206931
217030
227030
237129
247129
257228
267228
277327
287327
297327
307327
317327

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Kangdong-ŭp gets around 15 mm of rain and snow over 3.3 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 11% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11413
21413
31313
41313
51313
61313
71313
81313
91313
101213
111212
121212
131212
141211
151111
161111
171110
181010
191010
201010
21910
2299
2399
2499
2589
2689
2789
2889
2989
3089
3199

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January 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 January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:00 AM to 7:51 AM, and sunset from 5:18 PM to 5:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.38:005:18
29.38:005:18
39.38:005:19
49.38:005:20
59.38:005:21
69.48:005:22
79.48:005:22
89.48:005:23
99.48:005:24
109.48:005:25
119.48:005:26
129.58:005:27
139.58:005:28
149.57:595:29
159.57:595:30
169.57:595:31
179.67:595:32
189.67:585:33
199.67:585:34
209.67:575:35
219.77:575:36
229.77:565:37
239.77:565:38
249.77:555:39
259.87:555:40
269.87:545:42
279.87:545:43
289.87:535:44
299.97:525:45
309.97:515:46
319.97:515:47

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.2 kWh/m² to a high of 5.71 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.66 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kangdong-ŭp

In seasonPeak

None of Kangdong-ŭp's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Kangdong-ŭp's rainy season runs July–August, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Kangdong-ŭp?

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

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

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kangdong-ŭp.

What to pack for Kangdong-ŭp in January

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

In January, Kangdong-ŭp sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -10°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Kangdong-ŭp in January

The nearest coast averages about 2°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 67 km away) is warmest in August at about 25°C and coldest in February near -0°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 3 to Oct 2 — about 3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar2Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug25Warm
Sep23Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov12Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Kangdong-ŭp in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kangdong-ŭp 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 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateLowAug 18UV 8Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Kangdong-ŭp in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Kangdong-ŭp is worst in January — around 201 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 2.0× the cleanest month (July, 102 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery unhealthyUnhealthyVery unhealthyJan 15198 µg/m³Jul 21103 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan201Very unhealthy
Feb171Very unhealthy
Mar180Very unhealthy
Apr150Unhealthy
May132Unhealthy
Jun124Unhealthy
Jul102Unhealthy
Aug107Unhealthy
Sep152Very unhealthy
Oct182Very unhealthy
Nov195Very unhealthy
Dec181Very unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kangdong-ŭp?

Kangdong-ŭp sits at 39.1°N, 126.1°E, 43 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Sŭngho 1-tong, 20 km away.

Sunch’ŏnSunanChunghwaMan’gyŏngdae-riHŭkkyo-ri

Topography around Kangdong-ŭp

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kangdong-ŭp has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 387 m around an average of 110 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 589 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,474 m.

The land around Kangdong-ŭp is covered by trees (42%) and cropland (30%) within 3 km, trees (44%) and cropland (33%) within 16 km, and trees (47%) and cropland (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
387 m
16 km
589 m
80 km
1,474 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Sŭngho 1-tong 20 km · P’yŏngsŏng 23 km · Pyongyang 32 km · Sunch’ŏn 35 km · Sunan 35 km · Chunghwa 40 km · Man’gyŏngdae-ri 41 km · Hŭkkyo-ri 46 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 Kangdong-ŭp (39.1425°, 126.0961°, elevation 43 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. 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).