Busan weather in January

In January, Busan sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 37 mm of precipitation across 4.7 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 8°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Busan's 4th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Busan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
37 mm
4.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:37 AM – 5:30 PM
Cloud cover
44%
4th clearest
Wind
24 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.4
out of 10

Busan is metropolitan city of South Korea.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 17 µg/m³ · 2020
Density
4,267/km²
people per km²

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 8°C through the month.

A typical January day in Busan reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
184
284
384
484
584
684
784
884
984
1084
1184
1283
1383
1483
1583
1683
1783
1883
1983
2083
2183
2283
2383
2483
2583
2683
2783
2883
2983
3083
3183

How January really feels in Busan

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
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Busan 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 374.79.91.4
Feb / 475.110.72.0
Mar12° / 897.911.73.2
Apr15° / 12°1218.112.94.7
May18° / 16°1307.613.86.1
Jun21° / 19°1679.314.36.4
Jul25° / 23°22811.814.16.4
Aug27° / 25°18111.113.36.5
Sep24° / 22°1598.812.27.0
Oct20° / 17°724.511.17.4
Nov15° / 11°525.410.25.3
Dec10° / 334.19.72.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27327
37228
47129
57129
67030
76832
86733
96634
106535
116436
126337
136238
146238
156139
166139
176040
186040
196040
206139
216139
226139
236238
246337
256337
266436
276436
286535
296436
306436
316535

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Busan gets around 37 mm of rain and snow over 4.7 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 15% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
212
312
412
512
613
713
814
914
1014
1115
1215
1316
1416
1516
1616
1716
1817
1917
2017
2117
2217
2317
2417
2516
2616
2716
2815
2915
3015
3115

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 24 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 23 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
124breezy
224breezy
324breezy
424breezy
524breezy
624breezy
724breezy
824breezy
924breezy
1024breezy
1124breezy
1224breezy
1324breezy
1424breezy
1524breezy
1624breezy
1724breezy
1824breezy
1924breezy
2024breezy
2124breezy
2224breezy
2324breezy
2424breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:37 AM to 7:30 AM, and sunset from 5:17 PM to 5:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:375:17
29.77:375:18
39.77:375:19
49.77:375:19
59.77:375:20
69.77:385:21
79.77:385:22
89.77:385:23
99.87:385:23
109.87:385:24
119.87:385:25
129.87:375:26
139.87:375:27
149.87:375:28
159.97:375:29
169.97:375:30
179.97:375:30
189.97:365:31
199.97:365:32
2010.07:365:33
2110.07:355:34
2210.07:355:35
2310.07:355:36
2410.17:345:37
2510.17:345:38
2610.17:335:39
2710.17:335:40
2810.17:325:41
2910.27:325:42
3010.27:315:43
3110.27:305:44

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.91 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.64 kWh/m² to a high of 5.88 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.91 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.8Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.8Moderate
82.8Moderate
92.8Moderate
102.8Moderate
112.8Moderate
122.8Moderate
132.8Moderate
142.8Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Busan

In seasonPeak

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

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

Busan's rainy season runs April–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 Busan?

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

1.4
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Busan.

What to pack for Busan in January

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

In January, Busan sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Busan in January

The nearest coast averages about 15°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 14°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 17 to Nov 7 — about 4.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan15Bracing
Feb14Bracing
Mar14Bracing
Apr15Bracing
May17Cool
Jun20Refreshing
Jul23Refreshing
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct22Refreshing
Nov19Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Busan 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 Busan peaks around August 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateAug 18UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Busan 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 Busan is worst in March — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (August, 13 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Busan's WHO annual average of 17 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2121 µg/m³Aug 1913 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Busan?

Busan sits at 35.1°N, 129.0°E, 15 m above sea level, in South Korea. The nearest listed city is Kimhae, 20 km away.

ChangwonUngsangGeojeSinhyeonKyosai

Topography around Busan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Busan has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 485 m around an average of 75 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 636 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,204 m.

The land around Busan is covered by artificial surfaces (50%), trees (26%) and water (21%) within 3 km, water (51%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 16 km, and water (53%) and trees (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
485 m
16 km
636 m
80 km
1,204 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Kimhae 20 km · Gijang 23 km · Yangsan 27 km · Changwon 35 km · Ungsang 36 km · Geoje 44 km · Sinhyeon 44 km · Kyosai 49 km

South Korea travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 57% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$36,227
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.5
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
8.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 522
Religion
none 60%Protestant 17%Buddhist 16%Catholic 6%

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 Busan (35.1017°, 129.03°, elevation 15 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).