Sunch’ŏn weather in May

In May, Sunch’ŏn sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 108 mm of rain across 9.1 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 24°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sunch’ŏn's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sunch’ŏn's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
5th warmest
Overnight low
11°
8th coldest
Rainfall
108 mm
9.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:28 AM – 7:37 PM
Cloud cover
55%
9th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 24°C by the end.

A typical May day in Sunch’ŏn reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 27°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)
1208
2208
3208
4209
5209
6209
7219
8219
92110
102110
112110
122110
132110
142210
152211
162211
172211
182211
192211
202312
212312
222312
232312
242312
252412
262413
272413
282413
292413
302413
312414

How May really feels in Sunch’ŏn

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.

Sunch’ŏn weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -12°153.13.49.50.0
Feb / -8°244.23.310.50.0
Mar / -2°325.82.111.71.8
Apr16° / 637.60.5135.3
May22° / 11°1089.1014.16.9
Jun26° / 16°13111.7014.76.3
Jul28° / 21°33018.1014.55.0
Aug28° / 20°27015.7013.55.1
Sep24° / 15°1107.9012.37.1
Oct18° / 577.30116.2
Nov / -1°608.11.49.81.7
Dec / -8°295.94.39.30.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35149
45149
55050
65050
74951
84852
94852
104951
114951
124852
134852
144951
155050
165050
175050
185149
195248
205248
215248
225347
235446
245446
255446
265446
275446
285446
295347
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sunch’ŏn gets around 108 mm of rain over 9.1 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 29% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
331
431
531
631
731
831
930
1030
1130
1230
1329
1429
1529
1629
1729
1828
1928
2028
2128
2228
2328
2427
2527
2627
2727
2827
2927
3027
3127

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 80% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19640
29640
39640
49550
59550
69550
79550
89460
99460
109460
119370
129280
139190
1489101
1587121
1686131
1784151
1881172
1980182
2077203
2175223
2273243
2370264
2468275
2566295
2663316
2760337
2858348
29543610
30523711
31483913

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 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 5:44 AM to 5:17 AM, and sunset from 7:23 PM to 7:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:447:23
213.75:437:24
313.75:427:25
413.75:417:26
513.85:397:27
613.85:387:28
713.95:377:29
813.95:367:30
913.95:357:31
1014.05:347:32
1114.05:337:32
1214.05:327:33
1314.15:317:34
1414.15:307:35
1514.15:297:36
1614.25:287:37
1714.25:277:38
1814.25:267:39
1914.25:257:40
2014.35:247:41
2114.35:247:42
2214.35:237:43
2314.45:227:44
2414.45:217:44
2514.45:217:45
2614.45:207:46
2714.55:197:47
2814.55:197:48
2914.55:187:49
3014.55:187:49
3114.55:177:50

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.67 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.18 kWh/m² to a high of 5.67 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.67 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Sunch’ŏn

In seasonPeak

In May, Sunch’ŏn sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Sunch’ŏn sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Sunch’ŏn'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 May a good time to visit Sunch’ŏn?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sunch’ŏn for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sunch’ŏn in May

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

In May, Sunch’ŏn sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Sunch’ŏn in May

The nearest coast averages about 13°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 48 km away) is warmest in August at about 25°C and coldest in February near -0°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 3 to Oct 2 — about 3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar2Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug25Warm
Sep23Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov12Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Sunch’ŏn 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 Sunch’ŏn 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 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 highModerateLowAug 19UV 8Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Sunch’ŏn 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 Sunch’ŏn is worst in January — around 159 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 2.3× the cleanest month (July, 70 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyJan 18156 µg/m³Jul 2271 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan159Very unhealthy
Feb137Unhealthy
Mar130Unhealthy
Apr111Unhealthy
May95Unhealthy
Jun85Unhealthy
Jul70Unhealthy
Aug73Unhealthy
Sep98Unhealthy
Oct118Unhealthy
Nov126Unhealthy
Dec125Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Sunch’ŏn?

Sunch’ŏn sits at 39.4°N, 125.9°E, 72 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is P’yŏngsŏng, 21 km away.

SinanjuKangdong-ŭpCh’ŏsal-li

Topography around Sunch’ŏn

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sunch’ŏn has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 153 m around an average of 60 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 833 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,856 m.

The land around Sunch’ŏn is covered by cropland (36%), artificial surfaces (26%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, cropland (47%) and trees (38%) within 16 km, and trees (47%) and cropland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
153 m
16 km
833 m
80 km
1,856 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: P’yŏngsŏng 21 km · Paek'ak 28 km · Kaech’ŏn 30 km · Anju 31 km · Sunan 33 km · Sinanju 33 km · Kangdong-ŭp 35 km · Ch’ŏsal-li 37 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 Sunch’ŏn (39.4317°, 125.9328°, elevation 72 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).