Climate and average weather in Musan-ŭp

In Musan-ŭp, the summers are warm, showery, and mostly cloudy and the winters are frigid, snowy, and mostly clear.

Best: late May to early October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Musan-ŭp typically varies from -19°C to 24°C, and is rarely below -25°C or above 30°C. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Musan-ŭp for warm-weather activities is from late May to early October.

Hottest
Jul
24°
Coldest
Jan
-19°
Wettest
Jul
136 mm
Driest
Jan
8 mm
Rain / yr
685 mm
100 wet days
Daylight
8.9–15.1 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
478 m
42.2°N
Clearest
Jan
41% cloud

Musan-ŭp is human settlement in North Korea.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Musan-ŭp weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late May to early October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Musan-ŭp, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 4.6 months, from May 12 to September 29, with daily high temperatures above 17°C. The hottest month of the year in Musan-ŭp is July, with an average high of 24°C and low of 16°C.

The cool season lasts 3.1 months, from November 25 to February 27, with daily high temperatures below -1°C. The coldest month of the year in Musan-ŭp is January, with an average low of -19°C and high of -8°C.

Days typically run about 11°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 12°C) in February.

-20°-10°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan-8-19
Feb-4-16
Mar3-9
Apr120
May186
Jun2212
Jul2416
Aug2415
Sep208
Oct130
Nov2-8
Dec-6-16

How hot and cold Musan-ŭp really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -26°C (around January 22), with roughly 205 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C) 139 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.

-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°C)Air high (°C)Feels-like low (°C)Air low (°C)
Jan-8-8-26-19
Feb-4-4-23-16
Mar33-15-9
Apr1112-40
May181846
Jun21221112
Jul24241616
Aug24241515
Sep202078
Oct1213-30
Nov22-13-8
Dec-6-6-23-16

Average hourly temperature in Musan-ŭp

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 24°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -19°C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Musan-ŭp weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-8° / -19°81.92.29.30.0
Feb-4° / -16°122.93.610.30.0
Mar / -9°256.55.711.60.1
Apr12° / -0°5094.513.12.9
May18° / 8914.30.814.45.1
Jun22° / 12°9814.70155.7
Jul24° / 16°13614.9014.86.0
Aug24° / 15°12514013.76.1
Sep20° / 707.8012.36.5
Oct13° / 3561.610.83.9
Nov / -8°265.24.69.60.2
Dec-6° / -16°113.23.590.0

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Musan-ŭp gets about 685 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 5.2 months, from around Apr 10 to Sep 13, peaking in June at about 51% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 24.

July is the wettest month by volume, with 136 mm over about 15 wet days; January is the driest, with 8 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetJun 25 · 51%Jan 24 · 6%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan62
Feb103
Mar217
Apr319
May4514
Jun4915
Jul4815
Aug4414
Sep278
Oct196
Nov185
Dec113

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Musan-ŭp collects about 685 mm of rain across 100 wet days — roughly 57 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. July is the wettest month with 136 mm, while January is the driest at just 8 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 52% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0255075100125150175JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec8122550899813612570352611
Rainfall (mm)Rain daysSnow days
Jan822
Feb1234
Mar2576
Apr5095
May89141
Jun98150
Jul136150
Aug125140
Sep7080
Oct3562
Nov2655
Dec1134

Snow in Musan-ŭp

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Musan-ŭp averages about 27 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 6 to May 16 — about 7.3 months.

March is snowiest, with roughly 6 days of snow and an estimated 22 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 119 cm of snow.

02468JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonMar 5
Snow daysSnowfall (cm)
Jan29
Feb417
Mar622
Apr526
May12
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct27
Nov524
Dec412

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Musan-ŭp, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around September 7 and lasts for 5.6 months, ending around February 23. The clearest month is January, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 66% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around February 24 and lasts for 6.4 months, ending around September 6. The cloudiest month is July, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 67% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecOct 23 · 67%Jul 24 · 30%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastclearercloudierclearer
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan6634
Feb5743
Mar4555
Apr4357
May4258
Jun3763
Jul3367
Aug3862
Sep5545
Oct6535
Nov6238
Dec6436

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 14, brings about 15 h 06 min of light; the shortest, around December 14, only 8 h 54 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 12 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.37:555:10
Feb10.37:295:47
Mar11.66:436:22
Apr13.15:496:58
May14.45:087:31
Jun15.04:517:55
Jul14.85:057:53
Aug13.75:367:19
Sep12.36:096:26
Oct10.86:435:33
Nov9.67:224:55
Dec9.07:514:47

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Musan-ŭp averages about 10 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 4 and 16 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 5.6 months, from around Sep 11 to Feb 27. The sunniest month is January, with roughly 16 sunny days (bright).

The greyest month is July, down near 5 sunny days — about 69% fewer than the January peak.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsunniergreyersunniergloomymixedbrightJan 516 daysJul 234 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan16Bright
Feb12Mixed
Mar9Mixed
Apr7Gloomy
May7Gloomy
Jun6Gloomy
Jul5Gloomy
Aug6Gloomy
Sep11Mixed
Oct15Mixed
Nov14Mixed
Dec15Mixed

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Musan-ŭp, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 2.6 months, from around June 21 to September 6. The muggiest month is August, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 55% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 7 to June 20, and May is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecMay 17 · 100%Aug 1 · 21%muggydrycomfortablehumidcomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan1000000
Feb1000000
Mar1000000
Apr1000000
May991000
Jun6130900
Jul93238191
Aug172734211
Sep8114410
Oct1000000
Nov1000000
Dec1000000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Musan-ŭp is typically calm, near 9 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 6.9 months, from around Oct 15 to May 12. The windiest month is March, averaging about 11 km/h (calm).

The calmer part of the year runs from around May 13 to Oct 14, with August the calmest month at about 6 km/h.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezeMar 16 · 11 km/hAug 5 · 6 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan11calm
Feb11calm
Mar11calm
Apr10calm
May9calm
Jun7calm
Jul6calm
Aug6calm
Sep7calm
Oct9calm
Nov10calm
Dec11calm

Hazard calendar for Musan-ŭp

In seasonPeak

When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.

Musan-ŭp's rainy season runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Best time to visit Musan-ŭp

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Musan-ŭp throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around late May, Musan-ŭp is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Musan-ŭp for general outdoor tourist activities is from late May to early October, with a peak score in the third week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 15 · 6.6

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.0poor
Feb0.0poor
Mar0.2poor
Apr2.9poor
May5.1fair
Jun5.7good
Jul6.0good
Aug6.1good
Sep6.4good
Oct3.9fair
Nov0.3poor
Dec0.0poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Musan-ŭp for hot-weather activities is from late June to early September, with a peak score in the second week of August.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 8 · 5.4

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Musan-ŭp, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 24°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near -8°C), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Musan-ŭp sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Musan-ŭp

Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 68 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 3°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 28 to Sep 11 — about 1.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul19Cool
Aug22Refreshing
Sep20Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov12Bracing
Dec7Bracing

UV index (midday) in Musan-ŭp by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Musan-ŭp peaks around August 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 19UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Musan-ŭp

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in August the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 7.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 4 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb00
Mar3.50
Apr60
May73
Jun7.53
Jul70
Aug7.54
Sep6.52.5
Oct3.50
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Musan-ŭp by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Musan-ŭp is worst in March — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.7× the cleanest month (August, 14 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMar 2238 µg/m³Aug 1615 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan26Moderate
Feb29Moderate
Mar39Poor
Apr37Poor
May34Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct30Moderate
Nov23Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Musan-ŭp typically lasts about 184 days, from around April 17 to October 17 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from May 6 to September 28.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonMar 2610%Apr 1750%May 690%Sep 2890%Oct 1750%Nov 910%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan031
Feb028
Mar631
Apr4830
May964
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep972
Oct5331
Nov730
Dec031

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Musan-ŭp banks about 970 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

02505007501,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May59
Jun195
Jul307
Aug296
Sep113
Oct0
Nov0
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Musan-ŭp receives about 4.0 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.0 and 5.6 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 7.0 months, from around Mar 1 to Sep 28. The brightest month is May, averaging about 5.5 kWh/m² (bright).

The dimmest month is December, down near 2.1 kWh/m² — roughly 62% less than the May peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseMay 315.6 kWhDec 132.0 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan2.5Moderate
Feb3.4Moderate
Mar4.6Bright
Apr5.3Bright
May5.5Bright
Jun5.4Bright
Jul4.7Bright
Aug4.3Bright
Sep4.2Bright
Oct3.4Moderate
Nov2.3Moderate
Dec2.0Moderate

Where is Musan-ŭp?

Musan-ŭp sits at 42.2°N, 129.2°E, 478 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Yŏnsa-ŭp, 39 km away.

Yŏnsa-ŭpPuryŏng-ŭpHoeryŏngChongjinRanamKyŏngsŏngSamjiyŏn-ŭpRajin

Topography around Musan-ŭp

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Musan-ŭp has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 535 m around an average of 575 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,233 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,500 m.

The land around Musan-ŭp is covered by trees (31%) and grassland (30%) within 3 km, trees (72%) within 16 km, and trees (79%) within 80 km.

3 km
535 m
16 km
1,233 m
80 km
2,500 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Yŏnsa-ŭp 39 km · Puryŏng-ŭp 45 km · Hoeryŏng 50 km · Chongjin 67 km · Ranam 69 km · Kyŏngsŏng 78 km · Samjiyŏn-ŭp 87 km · Rajin 89 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 Musan-ŭp (42.2261°, 129.2078°, elevation 478 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).