Hamhŭng climate
Hamhŭng (North Korea) has a monsoon-influenced hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C51 °F, and about 946 mm37 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Hamhŭng climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 032 | −1013 | −523 | 110.4 |
| Feb | 337 | −817 | −327 | 180.7 |
| Mar | 948 | −228 | 338 | 240.9 |
| Apr | 1662 | 439 | 1050 | 502.0 |
| May | 2374 | 1152 | 1763 | 742.9 |
| Jun | 2781 | 1661 | 2271 | 873.4 |
| Jul | 2984 | 2068 | 2476 | 2509.8 |
| Aug | 2883 | 2069 | 2476 | 2118.3 |
| Sep | 2475 | 1559 | 1967 | 1054.1 |
| Oct | 1865 | 745 | 1355 | 471.9 |
| Nov | 949 | −131 | 440 | 512.0 |
| Dec | 235 | −817 | −326 | 180.7 |
| Year | 2984 | −1013 | 1151 | 94637 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 72% | 54% | 2.4 | 9:38 |
| Feb | 69% | 54% | 3.2 | 10:38 |
| Mar | 64% | 51% | 4.2 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 62% | 54% | 5.1 | 13:13 |
| May | 64% | 58% | 5.5 | 14:22 |
| Jun | 70% | 68% | 5.1 | 14:59 |
| Jul | 80% | 76% | 4.3 | 14:44 |
| Aug | 82% | 70% | 4.2 | 13:44 |
| Sep | 78% | 62% | 4.0 | 12:24 |
| Oct | 72% | 48% | 3.4 | 11:04 |
| Nov | 72% | 52% | 2.4 | 9:55 |
| Dec | 71% | 51% | 2.1 | 9:21 |
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 Hamhŭng is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 29 °C84 °F and a low of 20 °C68 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 0 °C32 °F and lows −10 °C13 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 29.5 °C53.2 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 946 mm37 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 60% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December–February. The wettest month is July (250 mm9.8 in), the driest is January (11 mm0.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 62% in April to 82% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 48%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in September to 11 km/h (7 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.0 hours in June.
Best time to visit Hamhŭng
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and June and October: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 27 °C81 °F with 47 mm1.9 in to 87 mm3.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 0 °C32 °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 Hamhŭng
- Winter (December–February) — highs 032 to 3 °C37 °F, lows −1013 to −8 °C17 °F, about 16 mm0.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 948 to 23 °C74 °F, lows −228 to 11 °C52 °F, about 49 mm1.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2781 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 1661 to 20 °C69 °F, about 183 mm7.2 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 949 to 24 °C75 °F, lows −131 to 15 °C59 °F, about 68 mm2.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Hamhŭng compares
Compared with Pyongyang, about 182 km to the southwest, Hamhŭng has practically the same average temperature and receives 5% less precipitation (946 mm37 in vs 1,000 mm39 in). The difference is largest in April (0.7 °C1.3 °F warmer).
Of the 18 places in North Korea covered by World Climates, Hamhŭng is the 9th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 11th 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: Yangju (South Korea, Dwa), Paju (South Korea, Dwa) and Chuncheon (South Korea, Dwa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Hŭngnam (pop. 346,082). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Hamhŭng, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Sinpo 58 km · 11 °C52 °F · 930 mm37 in
- Wŏnsan 85 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,292 mm51 in
- Tokchon 111 km · 9 °C49 °F · 1,050 mm41 in
- Changam-chon 130 km · 10 °C50 °F · 703 mm28 in
- Kanggye 142 km · 8 °C47 °F · 796 mm31 in
- Sunchon 148 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,065 mm42 in
- Manpo 173 km · 8 °C47 °F · 892 mm35 in
- Hyesan 174 km · 5 °C41 °F · 730 mm29 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Hamhŭng?
July is the warmest month in Hamhŭng, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (68 °F).
What is the coldest month in Hamhŭng?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 0 °C (32 °F) and an average low of -10 °C (13 °F).
When does it rain the most in Hamhŭng?
July is the wettest month with about 250 mm (9.8 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 11 mm (0.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Hamhŭng?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and June and October.
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 392 m, while Hamhŭng lies at about 16 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.4 °C4.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.