Kowŏn-ŭp climate — normals and trends
Kowŏn-ŭp (North Korea) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 9.7 °C and it receives 1,215 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 (23.5 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-6.6 °C). Rainfall peaks in July.
Kowŏn-ŭp averages 129 frost days, 21 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 109 rainy days per year.
Kowŏn-ŭp has warmed by +3.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.36 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 141 to 117 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 37.0 °C (on 2 August 1988) and the coldest -28.8 °C (on 31 January 1941).
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
Kowŏn-ŭpSouth Hamgyong
- coords
- 39.44°, 127.24°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
9.7°C
Average daily high
14.8°C
Average daily low
5.0°C
Annual rainfall
1,215mm
Sunshine / day
8.9h
Mean relative humidity
71%
Average peak wind
15.4km/h
Seasonal range
30.1°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
129 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
21 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
109 d/yr
Annual snowfall
93.7 cm
Average feels-like high
13.3 °C
Average feels-like low
2.9 °C
Average peak gust
37.2 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
35 d/yr
Solar radiation
14.8 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+3.1 °C
since 1940
+0.4 °C per decade · r² = 0.73 · 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
37.0 °C
2 August 1988
Coldest day
-28.8 °C
31 January 1941
Wettest day
195 mm
17 August 1979
Windiest day
48.0 km/h
28 August 1986
Strongest gust
123.1 km/h
28 August 1986
Hottest feels-like
44.1 °C
17 July 1958
Coldest feels-like
-34.8 °C
31 January 1941
Snowiest day
45.4 cm
3 March 1989
Sunniest day
14.7 h
23 June 1948
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 | 2.2 °C | +3.0 °C | 26 mm | -7 mm |
| Feb | 3.2 °C | +1.3 °C | 3 mm | -34 mm |
| Mar | 10.2 °C | +2.3 °C | 64 mm | +14 mm |
| Apr | 17.6 °C | +1.7 °C | 70 mm | +6 mm |
| May | 22.0 °C | +0.3 °C | 103 mm | +19 mm |
| Jun | 28.2 °C | +3.6 °C | 142 mm | +23 mm |
| Jul | 30.5 °C | +3.6 °C | 123 mm | -139 mm |
| Aug | 30.5 °C | +3.1 °C | 132 mm | -120 mm |
| Sep | 25.5 °C | +2.3 °C | 223 mm | +81 mm |
| Oct | 17.2 °C | -0.6 °C | 252 mm | +183 mm |
| Nov | 12.1 °C | +2.5 °C | 33 mm | -34 mm |
| Dec | 2.9 °C | +1.1 °C | 40 mm | +3 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 Kowŏn-ŭp?
Kowŏn-ŭp has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 9.7 °C and it receives 1,215 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Kowŏn-ŭp?
The hottest day measured in Kowŏn-ŭp between 1940 and 2025 was 2 August 1988, reaching 37.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Kowŏn-ŭp?
The coldest day measured in Kowŏn-ŭp between 1940 and 2025 was 31 January 1941, at -28.8 °C.
Does it snow in Kowŏn-ŭp?
Yes. Kowŏn-ŭp gets on average 93.7 cm of snow per year and has around 129 frost days.
Has the climate of Kowŏn-ŭp warmed?
Yes: Kowŏn-ŭp warmed by +3.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Kowŏn-ŭp?
The wettest day measured in Kowŏn-ŭp between 1940 and 2025 was 17 August 1979, with 195 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Kowŏn-ŭp?
The windiest day measured in Kowŏn-ŭp between 1940 and 2025 was 28 August 1986, with winds reaching 48.0 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Kowŏn-ŭp?
The warmest month in Kowŏn-ŭp is August (23.5 °C on average); the coldest is January (-6.6 °C).
How much does it rain in Kowŏn-ŭp?
Kowŏn-ŭp receives on average 1,215 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 109 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Kowŏn-ŭp?
Kowŏn-ŭp gets on average 8.9 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,249 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Kowŏn-ŭp?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Kowŏn-ŭp between 1940 and 2025 was 3 March 1989, with 45.4 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Kowŏn-ŭp?
Yes: Kowŏn-ŭp has on average 35 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Kowŏn-ŭp?
In Kowŏn-ŭp, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 44.1 °C on 17 July 1958, and the lowest was -34.8 °C on 31 January 1941.
Compare Kowŏn-ŭp with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Kowŏn-ŭp