Gwangyang weather in January

In January, Gwangyang sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 30 mm of precipitation across 3.9 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 6°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% 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 Gwangyang's 4th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gwangyang's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
1st coldest
Precipitation
30 mm
3.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:42 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
48%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.4
out of 10

Gwangyang is city of Jeollanam-do, South Korea.

Density
336/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 6°C through the month.

A typical January day in Gwangyang reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 1°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
16-2
26-3
36-3
46-3
56-3
66-3
76-3
86-3
96-3
106-3
116-3
126-3
136-3
146-3
156-3
166-3
176-3
186-3
195-3
205-3
215-3
225-3
236-3
246-3
256-3
266-3
276-3
286-3
296-3
306-3
316-3

How January really feels in Gwangyang

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.

Gwangyang 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 / -3°303.90.99.90.4
Feb / -1°444.70.710.71.5
Mar13° / 827.30.611.73.7
Apr18° / 1278.5012.96.0
May22° / 14°1448.1013.87.0
Jun25° / 19°19510.2014.36.5
Jul28° / 23°30917.1014.14.9
Aug29° / 23°28616.4013.34.8
Sep26° / 18°17010.1012.26.7
Oct21° / 12°704.6011.17.5
Nov14° / 475.20.110.24.9
Dec / -1°283.60.49.71.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26832
36832
46832
56634
66634
76535
86337
96337
106238
116238
126139
136040
145941
155941
165941
175842
185842
195842
205941
215941
225941
235941
246139
256139
266139
276238
286337
296337
306337
316436

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Gwangyang gets around 30 mm of rain and snow over 3.9 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 12% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
192
292
393
493
5103
6103
7102
8102
9112
10112
11122
12122
13132
14132
15132
16132
17142
18142
19142
20143
21143
22143
23153
24143
25143
26143
27143
28143
29143
30133
31133

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 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 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
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

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 7:42 AM to 7:35 AM, and sunset from 5:23 PM to 5:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:425:23
29.77:425:24
39.77:425:24
49.77:425:25
59.77:425:26
69.77:425:27
79.87:425:28
89.87:435:28
99.87:435:29
109.87:425:30
119.87:425:31
129.87:425:32
139.87:425:33
149.97:425:33
159.97:425:34
169.97:425:35
179.97:425:36
189.97:415:37
1910.07:415:38
2010.07:415:39
2110.07:405:40
2210.07:405:41
2310.07:405:42
2410.17:395:43
2510.17:395:44
2610.17:385:45
2710.17:385:46
2810.27:375:47
2910.27:375:48
3010.27:365:49
3110.27:355:50

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.96 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.65 kWh/m² to a high of 5.8 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.96 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
122.9Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.1Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Gwangyang

In seasonPeak

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

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

Gwangyang's rainy season runs May–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 Gwangyang?

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

0.4
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gwangyang.

What to pack for Gwangyang in January

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

In January, Gwangyang sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Gwangyang in January

The nearest coast averages about 13°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 36 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 12°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 20 to Oct 22 — about 4.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan13Bracing
Feb12Bracing
Mar12Bracing
Apr13Bracing
May16Cool
Jun20Cool
Jul23Refreshing
Aug26Warm
Sep24Warm
Oct21Refreshing
Nov17Cool
Dec14Bracing

UV index in Gwangyang 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 Gwangyang peaks around August 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 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 20UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Gwangyang 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 Gwangyang is worst in March — around 57 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.0× the cleanest month (July, 28 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorPoorModeratePoorMar 1856 µg/m³Jul 2229 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan42Poor
Feb47Poor
Mar57Unhealthy
Apr49Poor
May42Poor
Jun38Poor
Jul28Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep37Poor
Oct40Poor
Nov44Poor
Dec39Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Gwangyang?

Gwangyang sits at 34.9°N, 127.7°E, 24 m above sea level, in South Korea. The nearest listed city is Kwangyang, 10 km away.

KuryeChinjuGoseong

Topography around Gwangyang

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gwangyang has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 487 m around an average of 67 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,005 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,875 m.

The land around Gwangyang is covered by trees (43%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 3 km, trees (48%) and water (23%) within 16 km, and trees (53%) and water (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
487 m
16 km
1,005 m
80 km
1,875 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Kwangyang 10 km · Hadong 15 km · Suncheon 19 km · Yeosu 20 km · Beolgyo 34 km · Kurye 36 km · Chinju 45 km · Goseong 57 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 Gwangyang (34.9414°, 127.6957°, elevation 24 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).