Kaesong climate — normals and trends
Kaesong (North Korea) has a hot-summer humid continental, dry winter climate (Dwa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 11.2 °C and it receives 1,205 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is August (25.2 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-4.5 °C). Rainfall peaks in July.
Kaesong averages 118 frost days, 24 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 98 rainy days per year.
Kaesong has warmed by +2.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.25 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 128 to 108 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 37.9 °C (on 1 August 2018) and the coldest -26.2 °C (on 17 January 2001).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
KaesongKaesong
- coords
- 37.97°, 126.55°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
11.2°C
Average daily high
16.1°C
Average daily low
6.8°C
Annual rainfall
1,205mm
Sunshine / day
8.7h
Mean relative humidity
71%
Average peak wind
14.5km/h
Seasonal range
29.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
118 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
24 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
98 d/yr
Annual snowfall
23.5 cm
Average feels-like high
15.1 °C
Average feels-like low
5.1 °C
Average peak gust
32.6 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
55 d/yr
Solar radiation
14.8 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.1 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.53 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
37.9 °C
1 August 2018
Coldest day
-26.2 °C
17 January 2001
Wettest day
188 mm
9 August 2007
Windiest day
56.1 km/h
7 September 2019
Strongest gust
120.6 km/h
28 August 2012
Hottest feels-like
45.4 °C
1 August 2018
Coldest feels-like
-31.2 °C
17 January 2001
Snowiest day
17.7 cm
8 March 1991
Sunniest day
14.3 h
28 June 1951
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.9 °C | +2.5 °C | 15 mm | -3 mm |
| Feb | 2.8 °C | -0.7 °C | 5 mm | -18 mm |
| Mar | 12.3 °C | +2.7 °C | 41 mm | +2 mm |
| Apr | 17.6 °C | +0.8 °C | 91 mm | +17 mm |
| May | 21.5 °C | -0.9 °C | 92 mm | -1 mm |
| Jun | 27.4 °C | +1.2 °C | 166 mm | +37 mm |
| Jul | 30.8 °C | +2.7 °C | 137 mm | -178 mm |
| Aug | 31.1 °C | +2.1 °C | 152 mm | -104 mm |
| Sep | 26.8 °C | +1.7 °C | 199 mm | +61 mm |
| Oct | 19.6 °C | +0.7 °C | 177 mm | +127 mm |
| Nov | 13.1 °C | +2.4 °C | 17 mm | -28 mm |
| Dec | 3.8 °C | +0.8 °C | 35 mm | +11 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Kaesong?
Kaesong has a hot-summer humid continental, dry winter climate (Köppen Dwa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 11.2 °C and it receives 1,205 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Kaesong?
The hottest day measured in Kaesong between 1940 and 2025 was 1 August 2018, reaching 37.9 °C.
What is the coldest day in Kaesong?
The coldest day measured in Kaesong between 1940 and 2025 was 17 January 2001, at -26.2 °C.
Does it snow in Kaesong?
Yes. Kaesong gets on average 23.5 cm of snow per year and has around 118 frost days.
Has the climate of Kaesong warmed?
Yes: Kaesong warmed by +2.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Kaesong?
The wettest day measured in Kaesong between 1940 and 2025 was 9 August 2007, with 188 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Kaesong?
The windiest day measured in Kaesong between 1940 and 2025 was 7 September 2019, with winds reaching 56.1 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Kaesong?
The warmest month in Kaesong is August (25.2 °C on average); the coldest is January (-4.5 °C).
How much does it rain in Kaesong?
Kaesong receives on average 1,205 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 98 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Kaesong?
Kaesong gets on average 8.7 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,175 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Kaesong?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Kaesong between 1940 and 2025 was 8 March 1991, with 17.7 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Kaesong?
Yes: Kaesong has on average 55 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Kaesong?
In Kaesong, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 45.4 °C on 1 August 2018, and the lowest was -31.2 °C on 17 January 2001.
Compare Kaesong with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Kaesong