Sŏnbong weather in May

In May, Sŏnbong sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 83 mm of precipitation across 10.7 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sŏnbong's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sŏnbong's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
6th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
83 mm
10.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
5:03 AM – 7:27 PM
Cloud cover
66%
9th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Sŏnbong reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1136
2136
3137
4137
5137
6137
7137
8147
9148
10148
11148
12148
13148
14148
15148
16159
17159
18159
19159
20159
21159
221610
231610
241610
251610
261610
271610
281611
291611
301711
311711

How May really feels in Sŏnbong

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May 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

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

Sŏnbong weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 4th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34654
44555
54555
64456
74258
84258
94258
104060
114060
124060
134060
144060
154060
163862
173862
183961
193961
203961
213961
224060
234060
244159
254159
264159
274159
284159
294159
304258
314060

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sŏnbong gets around 83 mm of rain and snow over 10.7 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 33% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
232
332
432
533
633
733
833
933
1033
1133
1233
1333
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1935
2035
2135
2235
2335
2435
2534
2634
2733
2833
2932
3032
3132

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
210000
310000
410000
510000
610000
710000
810000
910000
1010000
1110000
1210000
139910
149910
159910
169910
179910
189910
199910
209910
219910
229820
239820
249730
259640
269640
279460
289370
299190
3090100
3186131

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:21 AM to 4:51 AM, and sunset from 7:10 PM to 7:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:217:10
213.95:207:11
313.95:187:12
413.95:177:14
514.05:167:15
614.05:147:16
714.15:137:17
814.15:127:18
914.15:117:19
1014.25:097:20
1114.25:087:21
1214.35:077:22
1314.35:067:24
1414.35:057:25
1514.45:047:26
1614.45:037:27
1714.45:027:28
1814.55:017:29
1914.55:007:30
2014.54:597:31
2114.64:587:32
2214.64:577:33
2314.64:567:34
2414.74:557:35
2514.74:557:36
2614.74:547:37
2714.74:537:37
2814.84:537:38
2914.84:527:39
3014.84:517:40
3114.84:517:41

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.33 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — May's 5.33 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Sŏnbong

In seasonPeak

In May, Sŏnbong sits inside its pacific typhoon and rainy season 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 May a good time to visit Sŏnbong?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sŏnbong for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sŏnbong in May

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

In May, Sŏnbong sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Sŏnbong in May

The nearest coast averages about 9°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).