Pyongyang weather in October

In October, Pyongyang sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 43 mm of rain across 5.8 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Pyongyang's 2nd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pyongyang's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
43 mm
5.8 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:53 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
42%
2nd clearest
Wind
9 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
3.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical October day in Pyongyang reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 6°C cooler than September and about 9°C warmer than November.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12212
22212
32212
42211
52211
62111
72111
82110
92110
102010
112010
12209
13209
14209
15199
16198
17198
18198
19188
20187
21187
22187
23177
24176
25176
26166
27166
28166
29165
30155
31155

How October really feels in Pyongyang

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October 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

October sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Pyongyang weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-0° / -9°133.32.89.60.0
Feb / -6°193.82.210.50.1
Mar10° / -1°274.41.111.72.4
Apr17° / 536.60.2136.0
May23° / 12°947.9014.17.2
Jun27° / 18°1079.9014.76.4
Jul29° / 22°26315.7014.54.8
Aug29° / 22°21913.8013.55.0
Sep25° / 16°916.7012.37.3
Oct19° / 435.80116.8
Nov10° / 457.10.69.92.4
Dec / -6°235.52.89.30.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 32%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26139
36139
46139
56238
66337
76337
86436
96436
106535
116634
126733
136733
146832
156832
166931
176931
187030
197030
207129
217129
227228
237228
247228
257327
267327
277327
287228
297228
307129
317030

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Pyongyang gets around 43 mm of rain over 5.8 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 19% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
119
219
319
419
518
618
718
818
917
1017
1117
1217
1317
1417
1517
1618
1718
1818
1918
2018
2119
2219
2319
2419
2520
2620
2721
2821
2921
3022
3122

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 87% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1592912
2622810
365269
467258
570237
672226
775205
878184
980173
1082153
1184142
1286122
1387112
1488102
159091
169181
179271
189361
199550
209640
219640
229730
239730
249730
259820
269820
279820
289820
299910
309910
319910

Wind in October

Winds average 9 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:38 AM to 7:10 AM, and sunset from 6:14 PM to 5:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:386:14
211.66:396:12
311.56:406:11
411.56:416:09
511.46:426:07
611.46:436:06
711.36:446:04
811.36:456:03
911.36:466:01
1011.26:476:00
1111.26:485:58
1211.16:495:57
1311.16:505:55
1411.06:515:54
1511.06:525:52
1611.06:535:51
1710.96:545:49
1810.96:555:48
1910.86:565:47
2010.86:575:45
2110.86:595:44
2210.77:005:43
2310.77:015:41
2410.67:025:40
2510.67:035:39
2610.67:045:37
2710.57:055:36
2810.57:065:35
2910.47:075:34
3010.47:085:33
3110.47:105:32

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.22 kWh/m² to a high of 5.81 kWh/m² in May across the year — October's 3.62 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.1Bright
34.0Bright
44.0Bright
54.0Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.3Moderate
263.3Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Pyongyang

In seasonPeak

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

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

Pyongyang'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 October a good time to visit Pyongyang?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
3.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Pyongyang for sightseeing.

What to pack for Pyongyang in October

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

In October, Pyongyang sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 8°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 6 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Pyongyang in October

The nearest coast averages about 18°C in October — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 50 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 Pyongyang in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Pyongyang peaks around August 16 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowAug 16UV 7Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Pyongyang in October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where October falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Pyongyang 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 Pyongyang?

Pyongyang sits at 39.0°N, 125.8°E, 43 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Man’gyŏngdae-ri, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Pyongyang

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pyongyang has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 81 m around an average of 17 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 356 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,357 m.

The land around Pyongyang is covered by artificial surfaces (70%) within 3 km, cropland (53%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and cropland (40%) and trees (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
81 m
16 km
356 m
80 km
1,357 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Man’gyŏngdae-ri 9.0 km · Kangsŏn 18 km · Chunghwa 19 km · Sunan 20 km · Sŭngho 1-tong 20 km · P’yŏngsŏng 26 km · Hŭkkyo-ri 26 km · Songnim-ni 32 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 Pyongyang (39.0339°, 125.7543°, elevation 43 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).