Tokchon climate
Tokchon (North Korea) has a monsoon-influenced hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa). The average temperature over the year is 9 °C49 °F, and about 1,050 mm41 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Tokchon climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −327 | −138 | −818 | 80.3 |
| Feb | 134 | −1014 | −424 | 190.7 |
| Mar | 745 | −426 | 235 | 241.0 |
| Apr | 1660 | 337 | 949 | 532.1 |
| May | 2373 | 1050 | 1661 | 803.2 |
| Jun | 2781 | 1660 | 2171 | 1034.1 |
| Jul | 2883 | 2067 | 2475 | 30612 |
| Aug | 2882 | 2068 | 2475 | 2389.4 |
| Sep | 2475 | 1457 | 1966 | 993.9 |
| Oct | 1763 | 643 | 1153 | 522.0 |
| Nov | 745 | −228 | 337 | 512.0 |
| Dec | −130 | −1112 | −621 | 170.7 |
| Year | 2883 | −138 | 949 | 1,05041 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77% | 44% | 2.4 | 9:39 |
| Feb | 74% | 47% | 3.2 | 10:38 |
| Mar | 69% | 48% | 4.2 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 66% | 55% | 4.9 | 13:12 |
| May | 67% | 58% | 5.5 | 14:21 |
| Jun | 71% | 67% | 5.1 | 14:58 |
| Jul | 82% | 79% | 4.1 | 14:43 |
| Aug | 84% | 71% | 4.3 | 13:43 |
| Sep | 79% | 58% | 4.1 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 75% | 46% | 3.4 | 11:04 |
| Nov | 77% | 53% | 2.3 | 9:55 |
| Dec | 78% | 47% | 2.0 | 9:22 |
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 Tokchon is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 28 °C83 °F and a low of 20 °C67 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −3 °C27 °F and lows −13 °C8 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 32 °C57.6 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
It is wet, with about 1,050 mm41 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 62% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December–February. The wettest month is July (306 mm12 in), the driest is January (8 mm0.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 66% in April to 84% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 44%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (3 mph) in September to 9 km/h (5 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.4 hours in December to 15.0 hours in June.
Best time to visit Tokchon
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and June and September: average highs of 23 °C73 °F to 27 °C81 °F with 80 mm3.2 in to 103 mm4.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −3 °C27 °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 Tokchon
- Winter (December–February) — highs −327 to 1 °C34 °F, lows −138 to −10 °C14 °F, about 15 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 745 to 23 °C73 °F, lows −426 to 10 °C50 °F, about 53 mm2.1 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 28 °C83 °F, lows 1660 to 20 °C68 °F, about 216 mm8.5 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 745 to 24 °C75 °F, lows −228 to 14 °C57 °F, about 67 mm2.6 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 Tokchon compares
Compared with Sunchon, about 45 km to the southwest, Tokchon is on average 0.4 °C0.7 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in December (1.6 °C2.9 °F cooler).
Of the 18 places in North Korea covered by World Climates, Tokchon is the 14th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 5th 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: Dandong (China, Dwa), Fengcheng (China, Dwa) and Yingkou (China, Dwa).
Nearby places
- Sunchon 45 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,065 mm42 in
- Pyongyang 91 km · 10 °C51 °F · 1,000 mm39 in
- Mangyongdae-ri 99 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,000 mm39 in
- Hamhŭng 111 km · 11 °C51 °F · 946 mm37 in
- Wŏnsan 122 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,292 mm51 in
- Nampo 135 km · 11 °C52 °F · 962 mm38 in
- Kanggye 138 km · 8 °C47 °F · 796 mm31 in
- Chaeryŏng-ni 144 km · 11 °C52 °F · 931 mm37 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Tokchon?
July is the warmest month in Tokchon, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (67 °F).
What is the coldest month in Tokchon?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -3 °C (27 °F) and an average low of -13 °C (8 °F).
When does it rain the most in Tokchon?
July is the wettest month with about 306 mm (12.0 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 8 mm (0.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Tokchon?
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 — 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 473 m, while Tokchon lies at about 113 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.3 °C4.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.