Kaesŏng climate
Kaesŏng (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 1,133 mm45 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kaesŏng climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 032 | −916 | −524 | 140.5 | 30 |
| Feb | 337 | −620 | −229 | 240.9 | 27 |
| Mar | 947 | −228 | 338 | 281.1 | 23 |
| Apr | 1660 | 439 | 1050 | 602.4 | 4 |
| May | 2272 | 1050 | 1661 | 883.5 | 0 |
| Jun | 2780 | 1661 | 2171 | 1014.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 2882 | 2069 | 2475 | 33213 | 0 |
| Aug | 2883 | 2170 | 2576 | 25810 | 0 |
| Sep | 2476 | 1560 | 2068 | 1184.6 | 0 |
| Oct | 1865 | 846 | 1356 | 461.8 | 1 |
| Nov | 1050 | 134 | 542 | 451.8 | 13 |
| Dec | 235 | −621 | −228 | 190.7 | 29 |
| Year | 2883 | −916 | 1151 | 1,13345 | 128 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78% | 56% | 2.4 | 9:48 |
| Feb | 74% | 52% | 3.2 | 10:44 |
| Mar | 73% | 50% | 4.3 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 72% | 53% | 5.0 | 13:08 |
| May | 72% | 56% | 5.6 | 14:12 |
| Jun | 73% | 65% | 5.2 | 14:47 |
| Jul | 84% | 76% | 4.2 | 14:33 |
| Aug | 84% | 65% | 4.5 | 13:37 |
| Sep | 80% | 57% | 4.2 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 77% | 44% | 3.6 | 11:08 |
| Nov | 77% | 52% | 2.4 | 10:04 |
| Dec | 78% | 55% | 2.1 | 9:32 |
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 Kaesŏng is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 28 °C83 °F and a low of 21 °C70 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 0 °C32 °F and lows −9 °C16 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 29.2 °C52.6 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,133 mm45 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 62% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December and January. The wettest month is July (332 mm13 in), the driest is January (14 mm0.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 72% in April to 84% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 44%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in September to 11 km/h (7 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.8 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 16 cm).
Best time to visit Kaesŏng
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 °C80 °F with 46 mm1.8 in to 101 mm4.0 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 Kaesŏng
- Winter (December–February) — highs 032 to 3 °C37 °F, lows −916 to −6 °C21 °F, about 19 mm0.7 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 947 to 22 °C72 °F, lows −228 to 10 °C50 °F, about 59 mm2.3 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 2780 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 1661 to 21 °C70 °F, about 230 mm9.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1050 to 24 °C76 °F, lows 134 to 15 °C60 °F, about 70 mm2.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Kaesŏng compares
Compared with Paju, about 30 km to the southeast, Kaesŏng has practically the same average temperature and receives 7% less precipitation (1,133 mm45 in vs 1,217 mm48 in). The difference is largest in December (0.8 °C1.5 °F warmer).
Of the 18 places in North Korea covered by World Climates, Kaesŏng is the 8th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 2nd 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: Paju (South Korea, Dwa), Yangju (South Korea, Dwa) and Chuncheon (South Korea, Dwa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Paechon-up (pop. 159,825). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Kaesŏng, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Paju 30 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,217 mm48 in
- Yangju 47 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,217 mm48 in
- Chongdan-up 54 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,133 mm45 in
- Seoul 58 km · 12 °C53 °F · 1,240 mm49 in
- Haeju 74 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,027 mm40 in
- Hanam 75 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,276 mm50 in
- Suwon 86 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,240 mm49 in
- Hwaseong-si 88 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,232 mm48 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kaesŏng?
August is the warmest month in Kaesŏng, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (70 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kaesŏng?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 0 °C (32 °F) and an average low of -9 °C (16 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kaesŏng?
July is the wettest month with about 332 mm (13.1 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 14 mm (0.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Kaesŏng?
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.