Weather in Pyongyang

Pyongyang is in North Korea at 39.0°N. The 2001–2020 NASA POWER daily record describes a continental climate with a wide temperature swing. Rain is wet season runs from June to September, inside an annual total of 1000 mm. The wettest month is July at 281 mm; the driest is January at 9 mm.

July is the warmest month (average 24.5°C, high 28.8°C) and January is the coolest (average -5.5°C, low -9.9°C). From the coolest night in January (-9.9°C) to the hottest afternoon in July (28.8°C), the raw range is 38.7°C. On this site the months that score closest to a 22°C day, lighter rain, and moderate humidity are June, July, and September.

Temperature through the year

The heat peaks in July, when the typical afternoon is 28.8°C. The opposite pole is January, when mornings average -9.9°C.

Mean high across all twelve months is 15.5°C and mean low is 5.5°C. These are 20-year grid averages, so a city station can read a few degrees warmer or cooler.

Rainfall pattern

The wet season in Pyongyang starts in June and ends in September (June, July, August, and September). July is the core of it at 281 mm. January is the other extreme, with 9 mm.

A rainy day here is a day with at least 1 mm in the NASA POWER series. July averages 17 such days; January averages 2.

Distinctive months in Pyongyang

The year bottoms out in January. Plan for -9.9°C at night and -1.2°C in the afternoon. February: 2.3°C high, -7.3°C low, 19 mm rain, 73% humidity. In March, Pyongyang averages 8.6°C by day and -2.3°C at night, with 23 mm of rain. April brings 54 mm and 6 rainy days; temperatures run from 3.4°C to 16.3°C. May stands apart from the months beside it: 23.2°C / 10.1°C and 76 mm. The wet season opens in June. Expect 97 mm and 11 rainy days, with nights around 16.0°C.

July is both the hottest and wettest month: highs around 28.8°C, 281 mm of rain, and 81% humidity. August brings 236 mm and 15 rainy days; temperatures run from 20.4°C to 28.3°C. September closes the wet season: 97 mm over 9 rainy days, then the calendar dries. October stands apart from the months beside it: 18.0°C / 7.5°C and 46 mm. November brings 47 mm and 7 rainy days; temperatures run from 0.2°C to 9.1°C. In December, Pyongyang averages 0.6°C by day and -7.2°C at night, with 17 mm of rain.

Best months to visit Pyongyang

The three months with the highest comfort score are June, July, and September: June (21.9°C average, 97 mm, 69% humidity); July (24.5°C average, 281 mm, 81% humidity); September (19.7°C average, 97 mm, 78% humidity). They fall in calendar order. The score rewards averages near 22°C, lower rainfall, and humidity near 60%. It is a climate score, not a festival or price calendar.

If you want the wet season itself — fewer crowds, greener landscape, heavier rain — aim at June–September instead of the score.

How Pyongyang compares inside North Korea

Pyongyang is the only North Korea city in this dataset, so the figures on this page are the national sample we publish. They still come from the same NASA POWER daily series (2001–2020) used everywhere else on the site.