Wŏnsan weather in May

In May, Wŏnsan sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 104 mm of rain across 8.3 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 16°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% 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 Wŏnsan's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wŏnsan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
5th warmest
Overnight low
12°
8th coldest
Rainfall
104 mm
8.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:22 AM – 7:31 PM
Cloud cover
53%
8th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical May day in Wŏnsan reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1169
2169
31610
41610
51610
61710
71710
81710
91711
101711
111711
121711
131811
141811
151812
161812
171812
181912
191912
201912
211913
221913
231913
242013
252013
262014
272014
282014
292014
302014
312114

How May really feels in Wŏnsan

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.

Wŏnsan 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 / -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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% 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 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25446
35347
45248
55347
65248
75248
85149
95149
105248
115248
125347
135347
145446
155446
165545
175545
185644
195644
205743
215743
225743
235743
245743
255743
265644
275644
285644
295545
305446
315347

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Wŏnsan gets around 104 mm of rain over 8.3 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 27% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
227
328
429
529
630
730
830
930
1030
1130
1230
1330
1429
1529
1628
1727
1827
1926
2025
2125
2224
2324
2423
2523
2623
2722
2822
2922
3022
3122

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 86% 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
79910
89820
99820
109820
119730
129730
139640
149550
159370
169280
179190
1889110
1987130
2085150
2183170
2281190
2378211
2476231
2573261
2671281
2767312
2864333
2960364
3056395
3152417

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 5:39 AM to 5:12 AM, and sunset from 7:16 PM to 7:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:397:16
213.75:387:17
313.75:367:18
413.75:357:19
513.85:347:20
613.85:337:21
713.85:327:22
813.95:307:23
913.95:297:24
1013.95:287:25
1114.05:277:26
1214.05:267:27
1314.05:257:28
1414.15:247:29
1514.15:237:30
1614.15:227:31
1714.25:217:31
1814.25:217:32
1914.25:207:33
2014.35:197:34
2114.35:187:35
2214.35:177:36
2314.35:177:37
2414.45:167:38
2514.45:157:39
2614.45:157:39
2714.45:147:40
2814.55:147:41
2914.55:137:42
3014.55:127:42
3114.55:127:43

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.77 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — May's 5.77 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Wŏnsan

In seasonPeak

In May, 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 May a good time to visit Wŏnsan?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
2.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Wŏnsan for sightseeing.

What to pack for Wŏnsan in May

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

In May, Wŏnsan sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Wŏnsan 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 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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 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 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
May 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).