Pyongyang climate
Pyongyang (North Korea) has a monsoon-influenced hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa). The average temperature over the year is 10 °C51 °F, and about 1,000 mm39 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Pyongyang climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −130 | −1014 | −622 | 90.3 | 31 |
| Feb | 236 | −818 | −327 | 190.7 | 28 |
| Mar | 847 | −327 | 337 | 230.9 | 25 |
| Apr | 1661 | 337 | 1049 | 542.1 | 5 |
| May | 2373 | 1050 | 1662 | 763.0 | 0 |
| Jun | 2882 | 1661 | 2271 | 973.8 | 0 |
| Jul | 2984 | 2068 | 2476 | 28111 | 0 |
| Aug | 2883 | 2069 | 2476 | 2369.3 | 0 |
| Sep | 2476 | 1559 | 2067 | 973.8 | 0 |
| Oct | 1864 | 745 | 1355 | 461.8 | 1 |
| Nov | 948 | 032 | 440 | 471.8 | 16 |
| Dec | 133 | −719 | −326 | 170.7 | 30 |
| Year | 2984 | −1014 | 1051 | 1,00039 | 136 |
“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 | 76% | 56% | 2.3 | 9:43 |
| Feb | 73% | 48% | 3.1 | 10:41 |
| Mar | 70% | 44% | 4.3 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 67% | 51% | 5.1 | 13:11 |
| May | 67% | 54% | 5.6 | 14:18 |
| Jun | 68% | 63% | 5.3 | 14:54 |
| Jul | 80% | 74% | 4.3 | 14:39 |
| Aug | 83% | 65% | 4.5 | 13:41 |
| Sep | 78% | 53% | 4.4 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 74% | 44% | 3.5 | 11:06 |
| Nov | 75% | 51% | 2.4 | 9:59 |
| Dec | 75% | 58% | 2.0 | 9:26 |
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 Pyongyang 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 −1 °C30 °F and lows −10 °C14 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 30.1 °C54.1 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
It is wet, with about 1,000 mm39 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 61% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December–February. The wettest month is July (281 mm11 in), the driest is January (9 mm0.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 67% in May to 83% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 44%) are typical of March. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in September to 11 km/h (7 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.4 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February. In those months the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm. It is deepest in January, at about 17 cm.
Best time to visit Pyongyang
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and June and September. Average highs then reach 23 °C73 °F to 28 °C82 °F. Precipitation is 76 mm3.0 in to 97 mm3.8 in per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −1 °C30 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an ideal. That means 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.
Pyongyang weather by month
- January−1 °C30 °F / −10 °C14 °F
- February2 °C36 °F / −8 °C18 °F
- March8 °C47 °F / −3 °C27 °F
- April16 °C61 °F / 3 °C37 °F
- May23 °C73 °F / 10 °C50 °F
- June28 °C82 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- July29 °C84 °F / 20 °C68 °F
- August28 °C83 °F / 20 °C69 °F
- September24 °C76 °F / 15 °C59 °F
- October18 °C64 °F / 7 °C45 °F
- November9 °C48 °F / 0 °C32 °F
- December1 °C33 °F / −7 °C19 °F
What to pack for Pyongyang
- Winter (December–February) — highs −130 to 2 °C36 °F, lows −1014 to −7 °C19 °F, about 15 mm0.6 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 847 to 23 °C73 °F, lows −327 to 10 °C50 °F, about 51 mm2.0 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 2882 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 1661 to 20 °C69 °F, about 205 mm8.1 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 948 to 24 °C76 °F, lows 032 to 15 °C59 °F, about 63 mm2.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Pyongyang compares
The nearest larger place is Seoul, about 195 km to the southeast. Compared with it, Pyongyang is on average 1.1 °C2 °F cooler. It receives 19% less precipitation (1,000 mm39 in vs 1,240 mm49 in). The difference is largest in January (2.6 °C4.7 °F cooler).
World Climates covers 18 places in North Korea. By annual mean temperature, Pyongyang is the 11th warmest of them. By annual precipitation, it is the 8th wettest. See all of them on the North Korea climate page.
Some places in other countries have a very similar pattern of temperature and rainfall. The closest matches are Yangju (South Korea, Dwa), Paju (South Korea, Dwa) and Chuncheon (South Korea, Dwa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Pyongsong (pop. 100,000). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Pyongyang, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Climate in Mangyongdae-ri 9 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,000 mm39 in
- Climate in Nampo 45 km · 11 °C52 °F · 962 mm38 in
- Climate in Sunchon 47 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,065 mm42 in
- Climate in Chaeryŏng-ni 56 km · 11 °C52 °F · 931 mm37 in
- Climate in Tokchon 91 km · 9 °C49 °F · 1,050 mm41 in
- Climate in Haeju 111 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,027 mm40 in
- Climate in Chongdan-up 119 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,133 mm45 in
- Climate in Kangnyŏng 127 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,027 mm40 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Pyongyang?
July is the warmest month in Pyongyang. Its average high is 29 °C (84 °F) and its average low is 20 °C (68 °F).
What is the coldest month in Pyongyang?
January is the coldest month. Its average high is -1 °C (30 °F) and its average low is -10 °C (14 °F).
When does it rain the most in Pyongyang?
July is the wettest month with about 281 mm (11.0 in) of precipitation. January is the driest with about 9 mm (0.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Pyongyang?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and 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. The gaps are largest 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.