Musan-ŭp in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Musan-ŭp sees average daytime highs around -6°C and overnight lows near -17°C, with 32 mm of precipitation over about 8 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about -4°C in early December to -2°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Musan-ŭp's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Musan-ŭp's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
-6°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
-17°C
Precipitation
32 mm
8 wet days
Avg wind
11 km/h
Travel score
0.0
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Musan-ŭp in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about -4°C in early December to -2°C by late February.

A typical winter day in Musan-ŭp reaches about -6°C and drops to -17°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

-20°-10°10°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Musan-ŭp

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
90
90 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Musan-ŭp weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Musan-ŭp gets around 32 mm of rain and snow over 8 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 11 km/h across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min in early December to 10 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.6 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Musan-ŭp

In seasonPeak

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

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 winter a good time to visit Musan-ŭp?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

0.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Musan-ŭp in Winter

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

In winter, Musan-ŭp sees daytime highs around -6°C and nights near -17°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Musan-ŭp in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 5°C across winter — 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 Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. 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 Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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
Winter 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.