Hongch’ŏn weather in January

In January, Hongch’ŏn sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -9°C, with 23 mm of precipitation across 4.3 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-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 50% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Hongch’ŏn's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hongch’ŏn's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-9°
1st coldest
Precipitation
23 mm
4.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:48 AM – 5:28 PM
Cloud cover
45%
3rd clearest
Wind
8 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Hongch’ŏn is human settlement in South Korea.

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 Hongch’ŏn reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -9°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -5°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 3°C cooler than February.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-8
21-8
31-8
41-8
51-8
61-9
71-9
81-9
91-9
101-9
111-9
121-9
131-9
141-9
151-9
161-9
171-9
181-9
191-9
201-9
211-9
221-9
231-9
241-9
251-9
261-9
271-9
281-9
291-9
301-8
312-8

How January really feels in Hongch’ŏn

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.

Hongch’ŏn weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -9°234.33.89.70.0
Feb / -6°304.83.610.50.1
Mar10° / -1°477.53.111.72.2
Apr16° / 818.30.512.95.4
May21° / 11°978.30146.9
Jun25° / 16°1139.7014.66.7
Jul27° / 20°30317.4014.35.2
Aug27° / 20°23015.6013.55.4
Sep24° / 15°1238.3012.37.0
Oct18° / 535.60116.5
Nov10° / 477.61.1102.5
Dec / -6°285.73.99.40.0

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 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26535
36535
46436
56436
66436
76337
86337
96238
106238
116139
126040
136040
146040
156040
166040
176040
186139
196040
206040
216139
226139
236139
246139
256238
266238
276337
286337
296337
306337
316337

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Hongch’ŏn gets around 23 mm of rain and snow over 4.3 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 14% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11514
21514
31513
41413
51413
61412
71412
81412
91412
101412
111412
121412
131412
141413
151413
161413
171513
181513
191513
201513
211513
221513
231513
241412
251412
261411
271311
281311
291310
301310
311310

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 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:49 AM to 7:40 AM, and sunset from 5:15 PM to 5:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:495:15
29.47:495:15
39.57:495:16
49.57:495:17
59.57:495:18
69.57:495:19
79.57:495:19
89.57:495:20
99.57:495:21
109.57:495:22
119.67:495:23
129.67:495:24
139.67:495:25
149.67:485:26
159.67:485:27
169.77:485:28
179.77:485:29
189.77:475:30
199.77:475:31
209.87:475:32
219.87:465:33
229.87:465:34
239.87:455:35
249.97:455:36
259.97:445:37
269.97:445:38
279.97:435:39
2810.07:425:40
2910.07:425:41
3010.07:415:42
3110.07:405:43

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.36 kWh/m² to a high of 5.71 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.73 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Hongch’ŏn

In seasonPeak

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

Hongch’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 January a good time to visit Hongch’ŏn?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Hongch’ŏn.

What to pack for Hongch’ŏn in January

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

In January, Hongch’ŏn sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -9°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Hongch’ŏn 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 Hongch’ŏn peaks around August 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateAug 15UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Hongch’ŏn 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 Hongch’ŏn is worst in March — around 57 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.8× the cleanest month (August, 31 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorPoorModeratePoorMar 1856 µg/m³Aug 1731 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan48Poor
Feb49Poor
Mar57Unhealthy
Apr51Poor
May46Poor
Jun41Poor
Jul33Moderate
Aug31Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct41Poor
Nov46Poor
Dec43Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Hongch’ŏn?

Hongch’ŏn sits at 37.7°N, 127.9°E, 137 m above sea level, in South Korea. The nearest listed city is Chuncheon, 24 km away.

GapyeongWŏnjuYangp'yŏngYangguHwacheonYeojuHwado

Topography around Hongch’ŏn

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hongch’ŏn has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 291 m around an average of 199 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 839 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,671 m.

The land around Hongch’ŏn is covered by trees (60%) within 3 km, trees (85%) within 16 km, and trees (84%) within 80 km.

3 km
291 m
16 km
839 m
80 km
1,671 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Chuncheon 24 km · Gapyeong 36 km · Wŏnju 38 km · Yangp'yŏng 41 km · Yanggu 47 km · Hwacheon 49 km · Yeoju 49 km · Hwado 51 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 Hongch’ŏn (37.6918°, 127.8857°, elevation 137 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).