Sŏnbong weather in January

In January, Sŏnbong sees average daytime highs of -4°C and overnight lows near -10°C, with 16 mm of precipitation across 2.4 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -4°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sŏnbong's 1st-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sŏnbong's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-4°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-10°
1st coldest
Precipitation
16 mm
2.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:51 AM – 5:04 PM
Cloud cover
33%
1st clearest
Wind
18 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.43 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 -4°C through the month.

A typical January day in Sŏnbong reaches about -4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -10°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -9°C and 1°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 3°C cooler than February.

-20°-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-3-10
2-3-10
3-3-10
4-3-10
5-4-10
6-4-10
7-4-10
8-4-10
9-4-10
10-4-10
11-4-10
12-4-11
13-4-11
14-4-11
15-4-11
16-4-11
17-4-11
18-4-11
19-4-11
20-4-11
21-4-11
22-4-11
23-4-11
24-4-10
25-3-10
26-3-10
27-3-10
28-3-10
29-3-10
30-3-10
31-3-10

How January really feels in Sŏnbong

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.

Sŏnbong weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-4° / -10°162.42.79.30.0
Feb-1° / -8°142.72.710.30.0
Mar / -2°254.62.911.60.3
Apr10° / 436.71.313.12.5
May15° / 8310.70.114.44.3
Jun19° / 14°809.80155.7
Jul22° / 18°14312.3014.86.1
Aug24° / 20°14012.4013.76.4
Sep21° / 15°867.7012.36.9
Oct15° / 455.70.310.85.3
Nov / -1°354.62.29.60.9
Dec-1° / -8°173.73.490.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 24%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27723
37723
47723
57822
67822
77822
87822
97822
107822
117723
127723
137723
147723
157525
167525
177525
187525
197525
207426
217426
227426
237426
247426
257525
267525
277624
287525
297525
307624
317624

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Sŏnbong gets around 16 mm of rain and snow over 2.4 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 8% and peaks near 11% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11111
21111
31010
41010
51010
61010
71010
8910
9910
10910
11910
12910
13910
14910
1589
1689
1789
1889
1989
2079
2178
2278
2378
2467
2567
2667
2767
2857
2957
3057
3167

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 18 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:53 AM to 7:41 AM, and sunset from 4:50 PM to 5:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:534:50
29.07:534:51
39.07:534:52
49.07:534:53
59.07:534:53
69.07:534:54
79.07:534:55
89.17:534:56
99.17:534:57
109.17:534:58
119.17:534:59
129.17:525:00
139.27:525:01
149.27:525:02
159.27:515:03
169.27:515:04
179.27:515:06
189.37:505:07
199.37:505:08
209.37:495:09
219.47:495:10
229.47:485:11
239.47:475:13
249.57:475:14
259.57:465:15
269.57:455:16
279.57:445:17
289.67:445:19
299.67:435:20
309.77:425:21
319.77:415:22

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.43 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.99 kWh/m² to a high of 5.33 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.43 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Sŏnbong

In seasonPeak

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

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

Sŏnbong's rainy season runs May–September, 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 Sŏnbong?

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
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sŏnbong.

What to pack for Sŏnbong in January

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

In January, Sŏnbong sees daytime highs around -4°C and nights near -10°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Sŏnbong in January

The nearest coast averages about 3°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 25 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 3°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 31 to Sep 8 — about 1.3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr5Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul19Cool
Aug22Refreshing
Sep20Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov11Bracing
Dec7Bracing

UV index in Sŏnbong in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sŏnbong peaks around August 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighModerateLowAug 19UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7High
Jul5Moderate
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Sŏnbong 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 Sŏnbong is worst in March — around 41 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.2× the cleanest month (August, 10 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateGoodModerateMar 1840 µg/m³Aug 1610 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb34Moderate
Mar41Poor
Apr36Poor
May21Moderate
Jun11Good
Jul10Good
Aug10Good
Sep10Good
Oct14Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sŏnbong?

Sŏnbong sits at 42.4°N, 130.4°E, 12 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Unggi, 3.0 km away.

HoeryŏngPuryŏng-ŭpOnsŏngNamyang

Topography around Sŏnbong

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sŏnbong has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 493 m around an average of 79 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,137 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,584 m.

The land around Sŏnbong is covered by cropland (40%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, trees (61%) and water (23%) within 16 km, and trees (46%) and water (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
493 m
16 km
1,137 m
80 km
1,584 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Unggi 3.0 km · Rajin 13 km · Aoji-ri 19 km · Ŭndŏk 19 km · Hoeryŏng 53 km · Puryŏng-ŭp 64 km · Onsŏng 75 km · Namyang 79 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 Sŏnbong (42.3512°, 130.3831°, elevation 12 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).