Songwŏn-ŭp weather in January

In January, Songwŏn-ŭp sees average daytime highs of -4°C and overnight lows near -16°C, with 17 mm of precipitation across 3.8 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-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 56% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Songwŏn-ŭp's 1st-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Songwŏn-ŭp's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-4°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-16°
1st coldest
Precipitation
17 mm
3.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
8:02 AM – 5:27 PM
Cloud cover
39%
1st clearest
Wind
7 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.64 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 Songwŏn-ŭp reaches about -4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -16°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -10°C and 1°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 4°C cooler than February.

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

How January really feels in Songwŏn-ŭp

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.

Songwŏn-ŭp 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-4° / -16°173.84.49.50.0
Feb-0° / -13°264.75.110.40.0
Mar / -4°407.75.611.70.8
Apr14° / 699.21.7134.2
May20° / 11111.8014.26.1
Jun24° / 14°13514014.86.1
Jul26° / 19°30519.1014.65.1
Aug26° / 18°24415.9013.65.6
Sep22° / 12°1098.5012.36.9
Oct16° / 6080.310.95.2
Nov / -3°638.84.29.80.8
Dec-2° / -13°326.76.59.20.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% 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 32%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26832
36832
46931
56832
66832
76832
86832
96832
106832
116832
126832
136733
146733
156733
166733
176832
186733
196733
206733
216832
226832
236832
246832
256832
266931
276931
286931
296931
306832
316832

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Songwŏn-ŭp gets around 17 mm of rain and snow over 3.8 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 13% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11618
21518
31517
41517
51516
61416
71416
81416
91415
101415
111415
121415
131415
141315
151314
161314
171214
181214
191214
201214
211113
221113
231113
241013
251012
261012
271012
281012
291012
301012
311112

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 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:03 AM to 7:53 AM, and sunset from 5:13 PM to 5:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.28:035:13
29.28:035:14
39.28:035:14
49.28:035:15
59.28:035:16
69.28:035:17
79.28:035:18
89.38:035:19
99.38:035:20
109.38:035:21
119.38:035:22
129.38:035:23
139.48:025:24
149.48:025:25
159.48:025:26
169.48:025:27
179.48:015:28
189.58:015:29
199.58:005:30
209.58:005:31
219.57:595:32
229.67:595:33
239.67:585:34
249.67:585:35
259.77:575:37
269.77:565:38
279.77:565:39
289.87:555:40
299.87:545:41
309.87:535:42
319.87:535:44

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.14 kWh/m² to a high of 5.65 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.64 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Songwŏn-ŭp

In seasonPeak

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

Songwŏn-ŭp's rainy season runs July–August, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Songwŏn-ŭp?

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
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Songwŏn-ŭp.

What to pack for Songwŏn-ŭp in January

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

In January, Songwŏn-ŭp sees daytime highs around -4°C and nights near -16°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Songwŏn-ŭp 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 Songwŏn-ŭp peaks around August 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowAug 19UV 8Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Songwŏn-ŭp 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 Songwŏn-ŭp is worst in March — around 43 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.2× the cleanest month (August, 19 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMar 1542 µg/m³Aug 2219 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan34Moderate
Feb38Poor
Mar43Poor
Apr36Poor
May32Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov27Moderate
Dec29Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Songwŏn-ŭp?

Songwŏn-ŭp sits at 40.4°N, 126.3°E, 371 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Yŏch’im-dong, 30 km away.

SongwŏnKop’ungKujang-ŭpTŏkch’ŏnKanggyeSijungKaech’ŏn

Topography around Songwŏn-ŭp

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Songwŏn-ŭp has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 714 m around an average of 535 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,685 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,237 m.

The land around Songwŏn-ŭp is covered by trees (80%) within 3 km, trees (88%) within 16 km, and trees (83%) within 80 km.

3 km
714 m
16 km
1,685 m
80 km
2,237 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Yŏch’im-dong 30 km · Songwŏn 36 km · Kop’ung 40 km · Kujang-ŭp 61 km · Tŏkch’ŏn 69 km · Kanggye 70 km · Sijung 79 km · Kaech’ŏn 83 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 Songwŏn-ŭp (40.3728°, 126.3083°, elevation 371 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. 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).