Hongch’ŏn weather in May

In May, Hongch’ŏn sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 97 mm of rain across 8.3 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 23°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Hongch’ŏn's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hongch’ŏn's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
5th warmest
Overnight low
11°
8th coldest
Rainfall
97 mm
8.3 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:24 AM – 7:25 PM
Cloud cover
56%
8th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 23°C by the end.

A typical May day in Hongch’ŏn reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1198
2208
3208
4209
5209
6209
7209
8209
92010
102110
112110
122110
132110
142110
152110
162111
172111
182211
192211
202211
212211
222212
232212
242312
252312
262312
272312
282313
292313
302313
312413

How May really feels in Hongch’ŏn

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.

Hongch’ŏn 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 / -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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35248
45149
55149
65149
75050
85050
95050
105050
115050
124951
134951
144852
155050
165050
175050
185050
195050
205050
215050
225050
235050
245149
255149
265149
275149
285149
295149
305149
315050

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Hongch’ŏn gets around 97 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 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
227
327
427
528
628
728
828
928
1028
1129
1229
1329
1429
1529
1629
1729
1828
1928
2028
2128
2227
2327
2426
2525
2625
2724
2824
2924
3024
3124

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 84% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19541
29541
39451
49451
59361
69361
79361
89271
99271
109271
119181
129181
139181
149091
159091
1689101
1788111
1887121
1986131
2084142
2183152
2282162
2379183
2478193
2576213
2674224
2772244
2869265
2966286
3063307
3161318

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 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 5:40 AM to 5:14 AM, and sunset from 7:12 PM to 7:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:407:12
213.65:387:13
313.65:377:14
413.65:367:15
513.75:357:15
613.75:347:16
713.75:337:17
813.85:327:18
913.85:317:19
1013.85:307:20
1113.95:297:21
1213.95:287:22
1313.95:277:23
1414.05:267:24
1514.05:257:25
1614.05:247:25
1714.15:237:26
1814.15:227:27
1914.15:227:28
2014.15:217:29
2114.25:207:30
2214.25:197:31
2314.25:197:31
2414.25:187:32
2514.35:177:33
2614.35:177:34
2714.35:167:35
2814.35:167:35
2914.35:157:36
3014.45:157:37
3114.45:147:37

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.71 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — May's 5.71 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Hongch’ŏn

In seasonPeak

None of Hongch’ŏn's seasonal hazards are active in May. 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 May a good time to visit Hongch’ŏn?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Hongch’ŏn for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hongch’ŏn in May

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

In May, Hongch’ŏn sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Hongch’ŏn in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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 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 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
May 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).