Samch’ŏn weather in January

In January, Samch’ŏn sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 13 mm of precipitation across 3.3 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Samch’ŏn's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Samch’ŏn's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
1st coldest
Precipitation
13 mm
3.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
8:00 AM – 5:36 PM
Cloud cover
58%
8th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Samch’ŏn reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -6°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -4°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-5
21-5
31-5
41-6
51-6
61-6
71-6
81-6
91-6
101-6
111-6
121-6
131-6
141-6
151-6
161-6
171-6
181-6
191-6
201-6
211-6
221-6
231-6
241-6
251-6
261-6
271-6
281-6
291-6
301-6
311-6

How January really feels in Samch’ŏn

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.

Samch’ŏn 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 / -6°133.32.69.60.0
Feb / -5°183.51.910.50.0
Mar / 254.4111.72.0
Apr15° / 4860.1135.3
May21° / 12°837.1014.17.1
Jun25° / 17°898.3014.67.0
Jul28° / 21°23214.2014.45.5
Aug28° / 22°20613013.55.4
Sep25° / 16°877012.37.3
Oct19° / 405.40116.8
Nov10° / 4370.89.92.7
Dec / -4°214.92.39.40.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24555
34654
44456
54456
64456
74456
84357
94357
104456
114357
124357
134357
144357
154357
164357
174357
184456
194555
204555
214654
224654
234753
244753
254852
265050
275149
285248
295446
305446
315545

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Samch’ŏn gets around 13 mm of rain and snow over 3.3 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 11% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11310
21310
31310
41310
51310
6139
7129
8129
9129
10118
11118
12118
13118
14108
15108
16108
17108
18108
19108
2098
2198
2298
2398
2497
2597
2697
2797
2897
2997
3097
3197

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 13 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:01 AM to 7:52 AM, and sunset from 5:23 PM to 5:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.48:015:23
29.48:015:24
39.48:015:24
49.48:015:25
59.48:015:26
69.48:015:27
79.48:015:28
89.58:015:29
99.58:015:29
109.58:015:30
119.58:015:31
129.58:015:32
139.58:015:33
149.68:005:34
159.68:005:35
169.68:005:36
179.68:005:37
189.67:595:38
199.77:595:39
209.77:585:40
219.77:585:41
229.77:585:42
239.87:575:43
249.87:575:44
259.87:565:45
269.97:555:47
279.97:555:48
289.97:545:49
299.97:535:50
3010.07:535:51
3110.07:525:52

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.08 kWh/m² to a high of 6.03 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.56 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Samch’ŏn

In seasonPeak

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

Samch’ŏn sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Samch’ŏn'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 January a good time to visit Samch’ŏn?

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
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Samch’ŏn.

What to pack for Samch’ŏn in January

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

In January, Samch’ŏn sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Samch’ŏn in January

The nearest coast averages about 6°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 39 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 4°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 15 to Sep 29 — about 2.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan6Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun16Cool
Jul20Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov15Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Samch’ŏn in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Samch’ŏn peaks around August 13 at about 8 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 13UV 8Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Samch’ŏn 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 Samch’ŏn is worst in November — around 82 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.1× the cleanest month (July, 40 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyNov 1981 µg/m³Jul 2240 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan80Unhealthy
Feb78Unhealthy
Mar80Unhealthy
Apr66Unhealthy
May54Poor
Jun46Poor
Jul40Poor
Aug41Poor
Sep58Unhealthy
Oct72Unhealthy
Nov82Unhealthy
Dec77Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Samch’ŏn?

Samch’ŏn sits at 38.4°N, 125.3°E, 46 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Sinch’ŏn-ŭp, 14 km away.

Topography around Samch’ŏn

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Samch’ŏn has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 m around an average of 75 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 818 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,037 m.

The land around Samch’ŏn is covered by cropland (73%) within 3 km, cropland (54%) and trees (37%) within 16 km, and water (39%), cropland (35%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
253 m
16 km
818 m
80 km
1,037 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Sinch’ŏn-ŭp 14 km · Songhwa 16 km · Ŭllyul 21 km · Anak 22 km · Changyŏn 23 km · Ŭnch’ŏn-ŭp 25 km · Chaeryŏng-ŭp 26 km · Kwail-ŭp 28 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 Samch’ŏn (38.3594°, 125.3259°, elevation 46 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).