Tŏkch’ŏn weather in May

In May, Tŏkch’ŏn sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 122 mm of rain across 10.6 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 23°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 Tŏkch’ŏn's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tŏkch’ŏn's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
5th warmest
Overnight low
10°
8th coldest
Rainfall
122 mm
10.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:26 AM – 7:37 PM
Cloud cover
57%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 23°C by the end.

A typical May day in Tŏkch’ŏn reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 26°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)
1197
2197
3197
4197
5197
6198
7208
8208
9208
10208
11209
12209
13209
14219
15219
162110
172110
182110
192110
202210
212210
222211
232211
242211
252311
262311
272312
282312
292312
302312
312312

How May really feels in Tŏkch’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.

Tŏkch’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-3° / -15°183.94.29.50.0
Feb / -11°274.74.510.40.0
Mar / -3°406.93.511.71.2
Apr15° / 738.50.9134.7
May21° / 10°12210.6014.26.5
Jun25° / 15°14813.5014.86.1
Jul27° / 19°38519.5014.55.0
Aug27° / 19°31116.8013.65.3
Sep23° / 13°1249.2012.36.9
Oct17° / 6980.110.95.6
Nov / -2°718.82.89.81.2
Dec-1° / -11°346.769.20.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
24951
34951
44852
54753
64753
74753
84753
94753
104654
114753
124753
134753
144753
154753
164852
174852
184951
194951
205149
215248
225248
235347
245347
255446
265446
275446
285446
295248
305248
315149

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Tŏkch’ŏn gets around 122 mm of rain over 10.6 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 34% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
434
534
634
734
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2334
2434
2533
2633
2733
2832
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 87% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
197300
297300
397300
497300
597300
697300
797300
897300
996400
1096400
1196400
1295500
1395500
1494600
1592710
1691810
1790910
18881110
19871210
20851320
21841420
22821620
23811720
24791920
25762130
26752230
27722440
28702640
29672850
30643060
31593371

Wind in May

Winds average 8 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.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
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 5:42 AM to 5:15 AM, and sunset from 7:22 PM to 7:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:427:22
213.75:417:23
313.75:407:24
413.85:397:25
513.85:377:26
613.85:367:27
713.95:357:28
813.95:347:29
914.05:337:30
1014.05:327:31
1114.05:317:32
1214.15:307:33
1314.15:297:34
1414.15:287:35
1514.25:277:36
1614.25:267:37
1714.25:257:38
1814.25:247:39
1914.35:237:40
2014.35:227:40
2114.35:217:41
2214.45:217:42
2314.45:207:43
2414.45:197:44
2514.45:187:45
2614.55:187:46
2714.55:177:47
2814.55:177:47
2914.55:167:48
3014.65:167:49
3114.65:157:50

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.63 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 5.63 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.63 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
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
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 Tŏkch’ŏn

In seasonPeak

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

Tŏkch’ŏn'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 Tŏkch’ŏn?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Tŏkch’ŏn in May

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

In May, Tŏkch’ŏn sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Tŏkch’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 Tŏkch’ŏn peaks around August 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Tŏkch’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 Tŏkch’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 Tŏkch’ŏn?

Tŏkch’ŏn sits at 39.8°N, 126.3°E, 113 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Kujang-ŭp, 23 km away.

Sunch’ŏnAnjuSinanjuPaek'akP’yŏngsŏngSongwŏn-ŭp

Topography around Tŏkch’ŏn

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tŏkch’ŏn has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 495 m around an average of 208 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,148 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,000 m.

The land around Tŏkch’ŏn is covered by cropland (50%) and trees (29%) within 3 km, trees (71%) within 16 km, and trees (70%) and cropland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
495 m
16 km
1,148 m
80 km
2,000 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Kujang-ŭp 23 km · Kaech’ŏn 32 km · Sunch’ŏn 45 km · Anju 53 km · Sinanju 58 km · Paek'ak 64 km · P’yŏngsŏng 65 km · Songwŏn-ŭp 69 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 Tŏkch’ŏn (39.7526°, 126.258°, elevation 113 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).