P’yŏngsŏng weather in May

In May, P’yŏngsŏng sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 101 mm of rain across 8.2 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 21°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% 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 P’yŏngsŏng's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see P’yŏngsŏng's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
5th warmest
Overnight low
12°
8th coldest
Rainfall
101 mm
8.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:28 AM – 7:37 PM
Cloud cover
53%
9th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

P’yŏngsŏng is city in North Korea.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical May day in P’yŏngsŏng reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 27°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)
1209
2209
3219
42110
52110
62110
72110
82110
92111
102211
112211
122211
132211
142211
152212
162312
172312
182312
192312
202312
212313
222413
232413
242413
252413
262414
272514
282514
292514
302514
312515

How May really feels in P’yŏngsŏng

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.

P’yŏngsŏng 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-1° / -10°1332.89.60.0
Feb / -6°213.72.410.50.0
Mar / -1°2951.411.72.2
Apr17° / 576.70.2135.8
May23° / 12°1018.2014.17.1
Jun27° / 17°11710.3014.76.5
Jul28° / 21°29416.4014.54.9
Aug29° / 21°24414013.55.1
Sep25° / 16°1006.9012.37.3
Oct19° / 506.20116.6
Nov / 517.40.89.82.2
Dec / -7°255.53.39.30.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35347
45248
55248
65149
75149
85149
95149
105149
115248
125248
135248
145248
155248
165347
175347
185446
195545
205446
215545
225545
235644
245644
255644
265644
275545
285545
295446
305446
315347

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

P’yŏngsŏng gets around 101 mm of rain over 8.2 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 26% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
428
528
628
728
828
928
1028
1128
1228
1328
1427
1527
1627
1726
1826
1926
2025
2125
2225
2324
2424
2524
2624
2724
2823
2923
3024
3124

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 76% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
194600
294600
393700
493700
593700
692800
792800
891900
991900
10901000
11891010
12881110
13871210
14851410
15841510
16811720
17791920
18772120
19742330
20722530
21692740
22672940
23653050
24623260
25593470
26563680
27543790
285238100
294839120
304640141
314340161

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

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 5:45 AM to 5:18 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)
113.65:457:23
213.75:447:23
313.75:427:24
413.75:417:25
513.85:407:26
613.85:397:27
713.85:387:28
813.95:377:29
913.95:357:30
1013.95:347:31
1114.05:337:32
1214.05:327:33
1314.05:317:34
1414.15:307:35
1514.15:297:36
1614.15:287:37
1714.25:287:38
1814.25:277:39
1914.25:267:40
2014.35:257:41
2114.35:247:42
2214.35:237:42
2314.35:237:43
2414.45:227:44
2514.45:217:45
2614.45:217:46
2714.45:207:47
2814.55:207:47
2914.55:197:48
3014.55:187:49
3114.55:187:50

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.77 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 5.77 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.77 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
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for P’yŏngsŏng

In seasonPeak

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

P’yŏngsŏng sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

P’yŏngsŏng'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 P’yŏngsŏng?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit P’yŏngsŏng for general sightseeing.

What to pack for P’yŏngsŏng in May

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

In May, P’yŏngsŏng sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near P’yŏngsŏng 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 45 km away) is warmest in August at about 25°C and coldest in February near -0°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 3 to Oct 2 — about 3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar2Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug25Warm
Sep23Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov12Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in P’yŏngsŏng 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 P’yŏngsŏng peaks around August 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateLowAug 18UV 8Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in P’yŏngsŏng 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 P’yŏngsŏng is worst in January — around 201 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 2.0× the cleanest month (July, 102 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery unhealthyUnhealthyVery unhealthyJan 15198 µg/m³Jul 21103 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan201Very unhealthy
Feb171Very unhealthy
Mar180Very unhealthy
Apr150Unhealthy
May132Unhealthy
Jun124Unhealthy
Jul102Unhealthy
Aug107Unhealthy
Sep152Very unhealthy
Oct182Very unhealthy
Nov195Very unhealthy
Dec181Very unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is P’yŏngsŏng?

P’yŏngsŏng sits at 39.2°N, 125.9°E, 53 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Sunan, 16 km away.

Paek'akMan’gyŏngdae-riCh’ŏsal-li

Topography around P’yŏngsŏng

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around P’yŏngsŏng has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 232 m around an average of 99 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 538 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,474 m.

The land around P’yŏngsŏng is covered by trees (43%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and cropland (41%) within 16 km, and trees (41%) and cropland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
232 m
16 km
538 m
80 km
1,474 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Sunan 16 km · Sunch’ŏn 21 km · Kangdong-ŭp 23 km · Pyongyang 26 km · Sŭngho 1-tong 30 km · Paek'ak 33 km · Man’gyŏngdae-ri 34 km · Ch’ŏsal-li 36 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 P’yŏngsŏng (39.2464°, 125.8719°, elevation 53 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).