Sinwŏn-ŭp weather in December

In December, Sinwŏn-ŭp sees average daytime highs of 3°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 19 mm of precipitation across 4.2 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 5°C in the first days to 1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Sinwŏn-ŭp's 7th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sinwŏn-ŭp's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-5°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
19 mm
4.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
7:53 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
51%
7th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 5°C in the first days to 1°C by the end.

A typical December day in Sinwŏn-ŭp reaches about 3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -5°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -3°C and 8°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
15-2
25-3
35-3
45-3
54-3
64-4
74-4
84-4
94-4
103-4
113-5
123-5
133-5
143-5
153-5
163-5
172-5
182-5
192-6
202-6
212-6
222-6
232-6
242-6
252-6
262-6
271-6
281-6
291-6
301-7
311-7

How December really feels in Sinwŏn-ŭp

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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
13 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Sinwŏn-ŭp weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -8°133.22.49.60.0
Feb / -5°183.51.910.50.1
Mar / -0°274.6111.72.3
Apr16° / 506.40.1135.7
May22° / 12°857.40147.2
Jun26° / 17°989.1014.66.7
Jul28° / 21°25014.5014.45.3
Aug29° / 22°22513.9013.55.2
Sep25° / 16°926.7012.37.3
Oct19° / 4050116.9
Nov10° / 406.30.79.92.6
Dec / -5°194.229.40.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25545
35545
45545
55446
65446
75446
85446
95446
105545
115446
125545
135644
145644
155743
165743
175941
185941
195941
205941
215941
226040
235941
245941
255842
265941
275941
285842
295743
305743
315644

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Sinwŏn-ŭp gets around 19 mm of rain and snow over 4.2 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 14% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1195
2195
3185
4185
5185
6176
7176
8166
9166
10167
11167
12157
13157
14147
15147
16137
17136
18126
19126
20116
21116
22117
23117
24117
25117
26128
27128
28128
29128
30129
31129

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December 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 December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 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
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:41 AM to 7:59 AM, and sunset from 5:13 PM to 5:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:415:13
29.57:425:13
39.57:425:12
49.57:435:12
59.57:445:12
69.57:455:12
79.47:465:12
89.47:475:12
99.47:485:12
109.47:485:12
119.47:495:13
129.47:505:13
139.47:515:13
149.47:515:13
159.47:525:13
169.47:535:14
179.37:535:14
189.37:545:14
199.37:545:15
209.37:555:15
219.37:555:16
229.37:565:16
239.37:565:17
249.37:575:17
259.37:575:18
269.37:575:18
279.37:585:19
289.47:585:19
299.47:585:20
309.47:595:21
319.47:595:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.22 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.22 kWh/m² to a high of 5.89 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 2.22 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Sinwŏn-ŭp

In seasonPeak

In December, Sinwŏn-ŭp sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Sinwŏn-ŭp sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Sinwŏn-ŭp'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 December a good time to visit Sinwŏn-ŭp?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sinwŏn-ŭp.

What to pack for Sinwŏn-ŭp in December

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

In December, Sinwŏn-ŭp sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Sinwŏn-ŭp in December

The nearest coast averages about 8°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 41 km away) is warmest in August at about 25°C and coldest in February near 2°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 3 to Oct 5 — about 3.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb2Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug25Warm
Sep23Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Sinwŏn-ŭp in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sinwŏn-ŭp 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 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 highHighModerateLowAug 13UV 8Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Sinwŏn-ŭp in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Sinwŏn-ŭp is worst in November — around 130 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.3× the cleanest month (July, 58 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyNov 18129 µg/m³Jul 2058 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan122Unhealthy
Feb117Unhealthy
Mar121Unhealthy
Apr95Unhealthy
May79Unhealthy
Jun69Unhealthy
Jul58Unhealthy
Aug62Unhealthy
Sep90Unhealthy
Oct115Unhealthy
Nov130Unhealthy
Dec122Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Sinwŏn-ŭp?

Sinwŏn-ŭp sits at 38.2°N, 125.8°E, 85 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Ayang-ni, 3.0 km away.

Ch’ŏngdan-ŭpAnakSamch’ŏn

Topography around Sinwŏn-ŭp

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sinwŏn-ŭp has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 516 m around an average of 118 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 903 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,037 m.

The land around Sinwŏn-ŭp is covered by cropland (50%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, cropland (41%) and trees (38%) within 16 km, and cropland (41%), trees (29%) and water (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
516 m
16 km
903 m
80 km
1,037 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Ayang-ni 3.0 km · Haeju 22 km · Chaeryŏng-ŭp 22 km · Sinch’ŏn-ŭp 28 km · Sariwŏn-si 30 km · Ch’ŏngdan-ŭp 33 km · Anak 39 km · Samch’ŏn 41 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 Sinwŏn-ŭp (38.2353°, 125.7624°, elevation 85 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).