Songwŏn-ŭp weather in May

In May, Songwŏn-ŭp sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 111 mm of rain across 11.8 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Songwŏn-ŭp's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Songwŏn-ŭp's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
111 mm
11.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:24 AM – 7:38 PM
Cloud cover
59%
9th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Songwŏn-ŭp reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1186
2186
3186
4186
5187
6187
7197
8197
9197
10198
11198
12198
13198
14208
15209
16209
17209
18209
19219
20219
212110
222110
232110
242110
252210
262211
272211
282211
292211
302211
312211

How May really feels in Songwŏn-ŭp

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.

Songwŏn-ŭp weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-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° / -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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44654
54654
64654
74456
84456
94456
104456
114456
124555
134456
144456
154555
164555
174654
184654
194852
204852
215050
225050
235050
245149
255149
265248
275248
285149
295050
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Songwŏn-ŭp gets around 111 mm of rain over 11.8 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 37% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
436
536
636
737
837
937
1037
1137
1238
1338
1438
1538
1638
1738
1838
1938
2038
2138
2238
2338
2438
2537
2637
2737
2836
2936
3036
3136

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79820
89820
99820
109820
119820
129730
139730
149640
159640
169451
179361
189271
199271
209181
219091
2289101
2388111
2487121
2586131
2685141
2783161
2881172
2979192
3076213
3173243

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, 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
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:41 AM to 5:13 AM, and sunset from 7:23 PM to 7:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:417:23
213.75:407:24
313.85:397:25
413.85:377:26
513.85:367:27
613.95:357:28
713.95:347:29
814.05:327:30
914.05:317:31
1014.05:307:32
1114.15:297:33
1214.15:287:34
1314.15:277:35
1414.25:267:36
1514.25:257:37
1614.25:247:38
1714.35:237:39
1814.35:227:40
1914.35:217:41
2014.45:207:42
2114.45:207:43
2214.45:197:44
2314.45:187:45
2414.55:177:45
2514.55:177:46
2614.55:167:47
2714.55:157:48
2814.65:157:49
2914.65:147:50
3014.65:147:50
3114.65:137:51

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.65 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — May's 5.65 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Songwŏn-ŭp

In seasonPeak

None of Songwŏn-ŭp's seasonal hazards are active in May. 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 May a good time to visit Songwŏn-ŭp?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
3.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Songwŏn-ŭp for sightseeing.

What to pack for Songwŏn-ŭp in May

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

In May, Songwŏn-ŭp sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Songwŏn-ŭp 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 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 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 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
May 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).