Kangsŏn weather in May

In May, Kangsŏn sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 95 mm of rain across 7.7 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 24°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kangsŏn's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kangsŏn's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
5th warmest
Overnight low
12°
8th coldest
Rainfall
95 mm
7.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:30 AM – 7:37 PM
Cloud cover
51%
9th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 24°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kangsŏn reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12010
22010
32010
42010
52010
62111
72111
82111
92111
102111
112111
122112
132212
142212
152212
162212
172212
182213
192313
202313
212313
222313
232313
242314
252414
262414
272414
282414
292415
302415
312515

How May really feels in Kangsŏn

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.

Kangsŏn weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-0° / -8°1232.59.60.0
Feb / -5°183.5210.50.0
Mar / -0°254.51.111.72.1
Apr16° / 526.60.1135.7
May22° / 12°957.7014.17.2
Jun26° / 18°1069.2014.76.7
Jul28° / 22°26015.6014.45.1
Aug29° / 22°21613.4013.55.3
Sep25° / 17°946.6012.37.4
Oct19° / 456.20116.7
Nov10° / 457.30.89.92.5
Dec / -5°245.52.89.30.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35347
45347
55347
65347
75347
85248
95248
105347
115347
125347
135347
145347
155545
165545
175545
185545
195644
205644
215743
225743
235743
245842
255842
265743
275743
285644
295644
305644
315545

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kangsŏn gets around 95 mm of rain over 7.7 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 25% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
226
326
427
527
627
727
827
927
1027
1127
1227
1327
1427
1526
1626
1725
1825
1924
2024
2123
2223
2322
2422
2522
2621
2721
2821
2921
3021
3121

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 74% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
193700
293700
392800
492800
591900
691900
7901000
8901000
9901000
10881110
11871210
12861310
13851410
14841510
15821710
16791920
17782020
18752230
19732430
20702640
21682840
22653050
23623260
24603460
25583570
26543790
275238100
284939120
294640141
304340161
314040191

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 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 5:47 AM to 5:20 AM, and sunset from 7:23 PM to 7:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:477:23
213.65:457:24
313.75:447:25
413.75:437:26
513.85:427:27
613.85:417:28
713.85:397:29
813.95:387:30
913.95:377:31
1013.95:367:32
1114.05:357:33
1214.05:347:34
1314.05:337:35
1414.15:327:36
1514.15:317:37
1614.15:307:37
1714.15:297:38
1814.25:297:39
1914.25:287:40
2014.25:277:41
2114.35:267:42
2214.35:257:43
2314.35:257:44
2414.35:247:45
2514.45:237:45
2614.45:237:46
2714.45:227:47
2814.45:227:48
2914.55:217:49
3014.55:217:49
3114.55:207:50

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.91 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.2 kWh/m² to a high of 5.91 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.91 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kangsŏn

In seasonPeak

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

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

Kangsŏn'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 May a good time to visit Kangsŏn?

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

7.2
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Kangsŏn for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Kangsŏn in May

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

In May, Kangsŏn sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Kangsŏn 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 40 km away) is warmest in August at about 23°C and coldest in February near 1°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 13 to Oct 8 — about 2.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun16Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep22Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov14Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Kangsŏn 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 Kangsŏn peaks around August 16 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 20 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 16UV 8Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul7Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Kangsŏn 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 Kangsŏn is worst in March — around 120 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.7× the cleanest month (August, 68 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyMar 15118 µg/m³Aug 1169 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan115Unhealthy
Feb108Unhealthy
Mar120Unhealthy
Apr104Unhealthy
May90Unhealthy
Jun83Unhealthy
Jul72Unhealthy
Aug68Unhealthy
Sep87Unhealthy
Oct98Unhealthy
Nov106Unhealthy
Dec99Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kangsŏn?

Kangsŏn sits at 38.9°N, 125.6°E, 22 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Man’gyŏngdae-ri, 9.0 km away.

Hwangju-ŭp

Topography around Kangsŏn

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kangsŏn has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 275 m around an average of 35 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 357 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,214 m.

The land around Kangsŏn is covered by cropland (31%), trees (25%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, cropland (63%) within 16 km, and cropland (41%), trees (27%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
275 m
16 km
357 m
80 km
1,214 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Man’gyŏngdae-ri 9.0 km · Pyongyang 18 km · Songnim-ni 20 km · Chunghwa 21 km · Hŭkkyo-ri 24 km · Namp’o 27 km · Sunan 31 km · Hwangju-ŭp 34 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 Kangsŏn (38.9364°, 125.5811°, elevation 22 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).