Wŏnsan weather in January

In January, Wŏnsan sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 36 mm of precipitation across 5.2 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Wŏnsan's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wŏnsan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-5°
1st coldest
Precipitation
36 mm
5.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:54 AM – 5:25 PM
Cloud cover
37%
2nd clearest
Wind
17 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Wŏnsan is port city and naval base located in Kangwŏn Province, North Korea.

Founded
1800

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Wŏnsan reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -5°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -4°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12-4
21-5
31-5
41-5
51-5
61-5
71-5
81-5
91-5
101-5
111-5
121-5
131-5
141-5
151-5
161-5
171-5
181-5
191-6
201-6
211-6
221-6
231-6
241-6
251-6
261-6
271-6
281-6
291-6
301-5
311-5

How January really feels in Wŏnsan

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.

Wŏnsan weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -5°365.24.79.60.0
Feb / -4°334.73.910.50.0
Mar / 426.43.611.71.1
Apr13° / 657.20.8133.9
May18° / 12°1048.3014.16.2
Jun22° / 17°11610014.76.5
Jul25° / 21°25314.6014.56.0
Aug26° / 22°25515.5013.55.8
Sep22° / 18°1519.9012.36.7
Oct17° / 11°777.90115.9
Nov10° / 848.11.29.92.4
Dec / -2°425.23.29.30.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 30%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27327
37327
47327
57327
67228
77228
87228
97129
107129
117030
127030
137030
147030
156931
166931
176931
186931
196931
206931
216832
226832
236931
247030
257030
267030
277030
287030
297129
307129
317030

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Wŏnsan gets around 36 mm of rain and snow over 5.2 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 17% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11311
21311
31311
41412
51412
61413
71513
81514
91615
101615
111716
121817
131817
141917
151918
161918
171918
181918
191918
201917
211917
221917
231816
241816
251715
261715
271714
281614
291613
301513
311513

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 17 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 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 7:55 AM to 7:45 AM, and sunset from 5:12 PM to 5:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.37:555:12
29.37:555:13
39.37:555:14
49.37:555:14
59.37:555:15
69.37:555:16
79.47:555:17
89.47:555:18
99.47:555:19
109.47:555:20
119.47:555:21
129.47:555:22
139.57:545:22
149.57:545:23
159.57:545:24
169.57:545:25
179.67:535:26
189.67:535:28
199.67:525:29
209.67:525:30
219.77:525:31
229.77:515:32
239.77:515:33
249.77:505:34
259.87:495:35
269.87:495:36
279.87:485:37
289.87:475:38
299.97:475:40
309.97:465:41
319.97:455:42

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.23 kWh/m² to a high of 5.77 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.58 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Wŏnsan

In seasonPeak

In January, Wŏnsan sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Wŏnsan sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Wŏnsan's rainy season runs June–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 January a good time to visit Wŏnsan?

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 Wŏnsan.

What to pack for Wŏnsan in January

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

In January, Wŏnsan sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Wŏnsan in January

The nearest coast averages about 5°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 km away) is warmest in August at about 24°C and coldest in February near 4°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 1 to Sep 30 — about 3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug24Warm
Sep22Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Wŏnsan 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 Wŏnsan peaks around August 18 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 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 18UV 8Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun7Very high
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Wŏnsan 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 Wŏnsan is worst in March — around 67 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.4× the cleanest month (July, 28 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorMar 1467 µg/m³Jul 2428 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan66Unhealthy
Feb63Unhealthy
Mar67Unhealthy
Apr59Unhealthy
May47Poor
Jun36Poor
Jul28Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep34Moderate
Oct49Poor
Nov53Poor
Dec52Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Wŏnsan?

Wŏnsan sits at 39.2°N, 127.4°E, 7 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Anbyŏn-ŭp, 14 km away.

KosanKowŏn-ŭpT’ongch’ŏn-ŭpHoeyangHŭngnamHamhŭngSamho-rodongjagu

Topography around Wŏnsan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Wŏnsan has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 323 m around an average of 43 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,086 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,626 m.

The land around Wŏnsan is covered by artificial surfaces (38%), trees (26%) and water (24%) within 3 km, water (35%), trees (32%) and cropland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and water (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
323 m
16 km
1,086 m
80 km
1,626 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Anbyŏn-ŭp 14 km · Kosan 33 km · Kowŏn-ŭp 36 km · T’ongch’ŏn-ŭp 45 km · Hoeyang 51 km · Hŭngnam 78 km · Hamhŭng 85 km · Samho-rodongjagu 96 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 Wŏnsan (39.1528°, 127.4436°, elevation 7 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).