Chongjin climate
Chongjin (North Korea) has a monsoon-influenced hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa). The average temperature over the year is 9 °C48 °F, and about 800 mm31 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Chongjin climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −228 | −916 | −622 | 100.4 |
| Feb | 032 | −720 | −326 | 120.5 |
| Mar | 542 | −229 | 235 | 210.8 |
| Apr | 1254 | 439 | 846 | 391.6 |
| May | 1864 | 949 | 1356 | 913.6 |
| Jun | 2271 | 1558 | 1864 | 933.7 |
| Jul | 2576 | 1966 | 2271 | 1626.4 |
| Aug | 2679 | 2068 | 2374 | 1837.2 |
| Sep | 2272 | 1660 | 1966 | 953.8 |
| Oct | 1661 | 948 | 1254 | 502.0 |
| Nov | 745 | 134 | 439 | 331.3 |
| Dec | 031 | −720 | −326 | 110.4 |
| Year | 2679 | −916 | 948 | 80031 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 76% | 50% | 2.1 | 9:27 |
| Feb | 71% | 53% | 3.0 | 10:32 |
| Mar | 67% | 56% | 4.1 | 11:49 |
| Apr | 65% | 61% | 4.9 | 13:17 |
| May | 71% | 69% | 5.1 | 14:32 |
| Jun | 79% | 76% | 4.8 | 15:12 |
| Jul | 84% | 77% | 4.3 | 14:55 |
| Aug | 82% | 72% | 4.3 | 13:51 |
| Sep | 75% | 59% | 4.1 | 12:25 |
| Oct | 69% | 45% | 3.4 | 10:00 |
| Nov | 70% | 49% | 2.3 | 9:45 |
| Dec | 76% | 48% | 1.9 | 9:09 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Chongjin is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 26 °C79 °F and a low of 20 °C68 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −2 °C28 °F and lows −9 °C16 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 28.7 °C51.6 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 800 mm31 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 55% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December–February. The wettest month is August (183 mm7.2 in), the driest is January (10 mm0.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 65% in April to 84% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 45%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (2 mph) in June to 14 km/h (8 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 9.2 hours in December to 15.2 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in February, about 17 cm).
Best time to visit Chongjin
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June and September: average highs of 22 °C71 °F to 22 °C72 °F with 93 mm3.7 in to 95 mm3.8 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −2 °C28 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Chongjin
- Winter (December–February) — highs −228 to 0 °C32 °F, lows −916 to −7 °C20 °F, about 11 mm0.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 542 to 18 °C64 °F, lows −229 to 9 °C49 °F, about 50 mm2.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2271 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 1558 to 20 °C68 °F, about 146 mm5.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 745 to 22 °C72 °F, lows 134 to 16 °C60 °F, about 59 mm2.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Chongjin compares
Compared with Vladivostok, about 225 km to the northeast, Chongjin is on average 2.7 °C4.9 °F warmer and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in January (3.9 °C7 °F warmer).
Of the 18 places in North Korea covered by World Climates, Chongjin is the 15th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 15th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the North Korea climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Wafangdian (China, Dwa), Dandong (China, Dwa) and Zhuanghe (China, Dwa).
Nearby places
- Yanji 124 km · 6 °C43 °F · 637 mm25 in
- Hyesan 140 km · 5 °C41 °F · 730 mm29 in
- Changam-chon 156 km · 10 °C50 °F · 703 mm28 in
- Dunhua 216 km · 4 °C39 °F · 691 mm27 in
- Vladivostok 225 km · 6 °C44 °F · 765 mm30 in
- Sinpo 236 km · 11 °C52 °F · 930 mm37 in
- Artëm 263 km · 5 °C42 °F · 719 mm28 in
- Baishan 278 km · 5 °C41 °F · 780 mm31 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Chongjin?
August is the warmest month in Chongjin, with an average high of 26 °C (79 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (68 °F).
What is the coldest month in Chongjin?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -2 °C (28 °F) and an average low of -9 °C (16 °F).
When does it rain the most in Chongjin?
August is the wettest month with about 183 mm (7.2 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 10 mm (0.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Chongjin?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June and September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 231 m, while Chongjin lies at about 5 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.5 °C2.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.