Musan-ŭp weather in January

In January, Musan-ŭp sees average daytime highs of -8°C and overnight lows near -19°C, with 8 mm of precipitation across 1.9 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -8°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Musan-ŭp's 1st-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Musan-ŭp's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-8°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-19°
1st coldest
Precipitation
8 mm
1.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:55 AM – 5:10 PM
Cloud cover
41%
1st clearest
Wind
11 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Musan-ŭp is human settlement in North Korea.

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -8°C through the month.

A typical January day in Musan-ŭp reaches about -8°C in the afternoon and slips back to -19°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 -2°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 4°C cooler than February.

-25°-20°-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-7-18
2-7-18
3-7-18
4-8-18
5-8-18
6-8-18
7-8-18
8-8-19
9-8-19
10-8-19
11-8-19
12-8-19
13-8-19
14-8-19
15-8-19
16-8-19
17-8-19
18-8-19
19-8-19
20-8-19
21-8-19
22-8-19
23-8-19
24-7-19
25-7-19
26-7-19
27-7-19
28-7-19
29-7-19
30-7-19
31-7-18

How January really feels in Musan-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.

Musan-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-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

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% 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 34%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36436
46436
56436
66634
76634
86634
96733
106733
116634
126634
136634
146634
156634
166634
176634
186634
196634
206634
216535
226535
236535
246535
256535
266733
276733
286733
296733
306733
316634

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Musan-ŭp gets around 8 mm of rain and snow over 1.9 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 6% and peaks near 7% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
178
278
378
478
579
679
778
878
978
1078
1178
1278
1378
1478
1577
1677
1767
1867
1966
2066
2166
2266
2356
2456
2556
2656
2757
2857
2967
3067
3167

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 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:57 AM to 7:46 AM, and sunset from 4:55 PM to 5:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:574:55
29.07:584:56
39.07:584:57
49.07:584:58
59.07:584:59
69.07:584:59
79.07:585:00
89.17:575:01
99.17:575:02
109.17:575:03
119.17:575:04
129.17:575:05
139.27:565:06
149.27:565:07
159.27:565:08
169.27:555:10
179.37:555:11
189.37:545:12
199.37:545:13
209.37:535:14
219.47:535:15
229.47:525:16
239.47:525:18
249.57:515:19
259.57:505:20
269.57:505:21
279.67:495:22
289.67:485:24
299.67:475:25
309.77:465:26
319.77:465:27

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.03 kWh/m² to a high of 5.46 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Musan-ŭp

In seasonPeak

None of Musan-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.

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

Is January a good time to visit Musan-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
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Musan-ŭp in January

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

In January, Musan-ŭp sees daytime highs around -8°C and nights near -19°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Musan-ŭp in January

The nearest coast averages about 4°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 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 in Musan-ŭp in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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

Air quality in Musan-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 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
Location & terrain

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
January weather 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).