Hyesan climate
Hyesan (North Korea) has a monsoon-influenced warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dwb). The average temperature over the year is 5 °C41 °F, and about 730 mm29 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Hyesan climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −818 | −19−3 | −147 | 80.3 |
| Feb | −424 | −172 | −1013 | 160.6 |
| Mar | 337 | −1014 | −326 | 210.8 |
| Apr | 1254 | −129 | 542 | 401.6 |
| May | 2068 | 642 | 1355 | 753.0 |
| Jun | 2576 | 1253 | 1865 | 1004.0 |
| Jul | 2780 | 1660 | 2170 | 1726.8 |
| Aug | 2679 | 1560 | 2169 | 1536.0 |
| Sep | 2170 | 947 | 1559 | 672.6 |
| Oct | 1355 | 033 | 744 | 351.4 |
| Nov | 337 | −817 | −327 | 311.2 |
| Dec | −620 | −171 | −1211 | 130.5 |
| Year | 2780 | −19−3 | 541 | 73029 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88% | 43% | 2.4 | 9:30 |
| Feb | 84% | 47% | 3.4 | 10:33 |
| Mar | 75% | 55% | 4.4 | 11:49 |
| Apr | 65% | 62% | 4.9 | 13:16 |
| May | 66% | 68% | 5.2 | 14:29 |
| Jun | 72% | 73% | 5.1 | 15:09 |
| Jul | 80% | 75% | 4.8 | 14:53 |
| Aug | 80% | 70% | 4.6 | 13:49 |
| Sep | 74% | 60% | 4.3 | 12:25 |
| Oct | 72% | 48% | 3.4 | 11:01 |
| Nov | 79% | 50% | 2.3 | 9:47 |
| Dec | 86% | 45% | 2.0 | 9:12 |
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 Hyesan is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 27 °C80 °F and a low of 16 °C60 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −8 °C18 °F and lows −19 °C−3 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 34.8 °C62.6 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 730 mm29 in. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 58% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December–February. The wettest month is July (172 mm6.8 in), the driest is January (8 mm0.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 65% in April to 88% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 43%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 1 km/h (0 mph) in July to 3 km/h (2 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.2 hours in December to 15.2 hours in June.
Best time to visit Hyesan
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and September: average highs of 20 °C68 °F to 21 °C70 °F with 67 mm2.6 in to 75 mm3.0 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −8 °C18 °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 Hyesan
- Winter (December–February) — highs −818 to −4 °C24 °F, lows −19−3 to −17 °C2 °F, about 12 mm0.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack heavy insulated clothing, thermal base layers, a warm hat, mittens and insulated boots and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 337 to 20 °C68 °F, lows −1014 to 6 °C42 °F, about 45 mm1.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2576 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 1253 to 16 °C60 °F, about 142 mm5.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 337 to 21 °C70 °F, lows −817 to 9 °C47 °F, about 44 mm1.7 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 Hyesan compares
Compared with Changam-chon, about 102 km to the southeast, Hyesan is on average 5.2 °C9.3 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in December (8.8 °C15.8 °F cooler).
Of the 18 places in North Korea covered by World Climates, Hyesan is the 18th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 17th 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: Baishan (China, Dwa), Artëm (Russia, Dwa) and Jiaohe (China, Dwa).
Nearby places
- Changam-chon 102 km · 10 °C50 °F · 703 mm28 in
- Chongjin 140 km · 9 °C48 °F · 800 mm31 in
- Kanggye 142 km · 8 °C47 °F · 796 mm31 in
- Sinpo 151 km · 11 °C52 °F · 930 mm37 in
- Baishan 158 km · 5 °C41 °F · 780 mm31 in
- Manpo 160 km · 8 °C47 °F · 892 mm35 in
- Hamhŭng 174 km · 11 °C51 °F · 946 mm37 in
- Tonghua 191 km · 6 °C43 °F · 850 mm33 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Hyesan?
July is the warmest month in Hyesan, with an average high of 27 °C (80 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (60 °F).
What is the coldest month in Hyesan?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -8 °C (18 °F) and an average low of -19 °C (-3 °F).
When does it rain the most in Hyesan?
July is the wettest month with about 172 mm (6.8 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 8 mm (0.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Hyesan?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May 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 1,104 m, while Hyesan lies at about 709 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.6 °C4.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.