Kosan weather in May

In May, Kosan sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 104 mm of precipitation across 9.5 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 Kosan's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kosan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
104 mm
9.5 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:23 AM – 7:30 PM
Cloud cover
57%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kosan reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1176
2186
3186
4186
5187
6187
7187
8197
9197
10198
11198
12198
13198
14198
15208
16209
17209
18209
19209
20209
212110
222110
232110
242110
252110
262110
272211
282211
292211
302211
312211

How May really feels in Kosan

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.

Kosan 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -14°254.65.49.60.0
Feb / -11°304.94.910.50.0
Mar / -4°447.35.411.71.0
Apr14° / 7282134.4
May20° / 1049.5014.16.4
Jun23° / 14°12511.5014.76.4
Jul25° / 18°26717.8014.45.4
Aug26° / 18°24916.7013.55.6
Sep22° / 12°1258.8012.36.6
Oct16° / 536.20.2115.6
Nov / -2°507.63.29.91.3
Dec / -10°305.14.99.30.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24852
34852
44753
54753
64753
74753
84852
94852
104852
114753
124753
134753
144852
154852
164753
174852
184951
195050
205050
214951
225050
235050
245050
255149
265050
275050
284951
294951
304951
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Kosan gets around 104 mm of rain and snow over 9.5 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 30% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1312
2321
3321
4321
5321
6331
7330
8330
9330
10330
11320
12320
13320
14320
15320
16310
17310
18310
19300
20300
21300
22290
23290
24280
25280
26280
27270
28270
29270
30260
31260

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 (%)
19820
29820
39820
49820
59820
69820
79820
89820
99820
109820
119820
129820
139820
149730
159730
169730
179640
189550
199460
209460
219370
229280
239190
2490100
2587121
2686131
2784151
2882171
2980191
3077212
3175232

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.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 5:39 AM to 5:13 AM, and sunset from 7:16 PM to 7:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:397:16
213.65:387:17
313.75:377:18
413.75:367:19
513.75:357:20
613.85:337:21
713.85:327:21
813.95:317:22
913.95:307:23
1013.95:297:24
1114.05:287:25
1214.05:277:26
1314.05:267:27
1414.15:257:28
1514.15:247:29
1614.15:237:30
1714.15:227:31
1814.25:217:32
1914.25:217:33
2014.25:207:34
2114.35:197:34
2214.35:187:35
2314.35:187:36
2414.35:177:37
2514.45:167:38
2614.45:167:39
2714.45:157:39
2814.45:147:40
2914.55:147:41
3014.55:137:42
3114.55:137:43

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.72 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.31 kWh/m² to a high of 5.72 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.72 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kosan

In seasonPeak

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

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

Kosan's rainy season runs June–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 Kosan?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
3.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kosan for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kosan in May

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

In May, Kosan sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kosan 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 35 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 1 to Sep 30 — about 3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug24Warm
Sep22Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Kosan in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kosan peaks around August 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateLowAug 18UV 8Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Kosan 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 Kosan is worst in March — around 67 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.4× the cleanest month (July, 28 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorMar 1467 µg/m³Jul 2428 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan66Unhealthy
Feb63Unhealthy
Mar67Unhealthy
Apr59Unhealthy
May47Poor
Jun36Poor
Jul28Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep34Moderate
Oct49Poor
Nov53Poor
Dec52Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Kosan?

Kosan sits at 38.9°N, 127.4°E, 195 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Hoeyang, 22 km away.

WŏnsanT’ongch’ŏn-ŭpKowŏn-ŭpCheorwonHwacheonYanggu

Topography around Kosan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kosan has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 366 m around an average of 215 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,492 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,626 m.

The land around Kosan is covered by cropland (54%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, trees (75%) within 16 km, and trees (58%) within 80 km.

3 km
366 m
16 km
1,492 m
80 km
1,626 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Hoeyang 22 km · Anbyŏn-ŭp 23 km · Wŏnsan 33 km · T’ongch’ŏn-ŭp 42 km · Kowŏn-ŭp 66 km · Cheorwon 74 km · Hwacheon 87 km · Yanggu 97 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 Kosan (38.8558°, 127.4181°, elevation 195 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).