Sakchu-ŭp in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Sakchu-ŭp sees average daytime highs around -2°C and overnight lows near -12°C, with 53 mm of precipitation over about 11 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 0°C in early December to 3°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
-2°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
-12°C
Precipitation
53 mm
11 wet days
Avg wind
9 km/h
Travel score
0.0
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Sakchu-ŭp in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 0°C in early December to 3°C by late February.

A typical winter day in Sakchu-ŭp reaches about -2°C and drops to -12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

-20°-10°10°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Sakchu-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.

Sakchu-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-4° / -14°122.72.99.40.0
Feb / -10°203.73.510.40.0
Mar / -3°305.42.911.71.0
Apr15° / 587.51134.7
May21° / 11°969.4014.26.6
Jun25° / 16°12412.3014.86.4
Jul27° / 20°22716.5014.65.3
Aug27° / 20°22615.2013.65.5
Sep23° / 14°917.4012.37.2
Oct16° / 617.70.110.95.4
Nov / -2°507.62.79.80.9
Dec-2° / -11°214.53.69.20.0

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Sakchu-ŭp gets around 53 mm of rain and snow over 11 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 9 km/h across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min in early December to 11 hours 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 2.7 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Sakchu-ŭp

In seasonPeak

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

Sakchu-ŭp's rainy season runs June–August, 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 Sakchu-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 Sakchu-ŭp.

What to pack for Sakchu-ŭp in Winter

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

In winter, Sakchu-ŭp sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -12°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Sakchu-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 Sakchu-ŭp peaks around August 20 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 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowAug 20UV 7Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Sakchu-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 Sakchu-ŭp is worst in March — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.1× the cleanest month (August, 23 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorMar 1348 µg/m³Aug 1923 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan43Poor
Feb46Poor
Mar48Poor
Apr41Poor
May34Moderate
Jun31Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct31Moderate
Nov36Poor
Dec39Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Sakchu-ŭp?

Sakchu-ŭp sits at 40.4°N, 125.0°E, 138 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Uiju, 49 km away.

UijuKusŏng-siSinŭijuSongwŏnChŏngjuKop’ungSinanjuAnju

Topography around Sakchu-ŭp

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sakchu-ŭp has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 351 m around an average of 204 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,017 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,688 m.

The land around Sakchu-ŭp is covered by trees (40%) and cropland (39%) within 3 km, trees (75%) within 16 km, and trees (71%) and cropland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
351 m
16 km
1,017 m
80 km
1,688 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Winter weather nearby: Uiju 49 km · Kusŏng-si 49 km · Sinŭiju 64 km · Songwŏn 70 km · Chŏngju 79 km · Kop’ung 80 km · Sinanju 100 km · Anju 101 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 Sakchu-ŭp (40.3894°, 125.0467°, elevation 138 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.