North Korea Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Pyongyang, Hamhung, Chongjin, Nampo, and Wonsan
Summary
North Korea endured another unusually hot summer period as a heatwave stretched across the Korean peninsula, pushing state media to issue high temperature alerts as air temperatures approached 40°C in several districts. The relentless heat capped off the 2nd warmest May to July period on record, with the extreme warmth expected to give way to volatile weather in the coming weeks.
This month in numbers
July 2026 registered an average temperature of 23.19°C, which is 2.3°C above the 1961-1990 climate baseline. That made it a sweltering month, ranking as the 5th warmest July in 87 years of systematic records. This follows an unusually mild start to the year, where February stood 4.1°C above average and March ran 3.6°C warmer than typical baseline levels.
What changed
The three-month period from May to July averaged 19.08°C, marking the 2nd warmest such stretch on record, falling just short of the all-time peak set in 2025. Globally, land temperatures over the same period were also the 2nd highest ever recorded, sitting 1.5°C above baseline. Within the Asia regional grouping, North Korea placed as the 3rd warmest nation for its single-month anomaly, running 0.74°C above the regional average.
What’s driving change?
The elevated summer temperatures across the peninsula stem from broader jet stream shifts that have held high pressure and warm air masses stationary over East Asia. Under dynamics, continental landmasses in the region heat at an accelerated pace compared to surrounding seas. While local heat warnings and heavy monsoon downpours disrupted parts of North Korea, these events did not match the scale of major regional disasters like the 24 wildfires in the Russian Federation tracked on our live map at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts indicate that above-average warmth and erratic monsoon downpours are likely to persist across the region over the next 1-3 months.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – Global
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance (countries & continents) · Met Office (UK) · US states & climate regions. Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.
Typical Climate – North Korea
Köppen Dwa · ContinentalNorth Korea has a continental climate (Köppen Dwa: Humid continental - dry winter, hot summer), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 22.8°C, while January is the coldest at -8.8°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1064mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Monthly climate normals (2016–2025) - bar colour and height show average temperature, the shaded area shows average monthly rain, with snow (water-equivalent) shown separately.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Long-Term Trends
Combined Timeline – North Korea
Right axis: everything else standardized to standard deviations (σ) from its own average, since mm/hours/days aren't directly comparable to °C or to each other.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – North Korea
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI heatwave measure: days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.
Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived). Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – North Korea
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – North Korea
Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Records – North Korea
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen Dwb · ContinentalNorth Korea has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±16.7°C) and a wet/dry cycle (12× wet:dry ratio). Both sides of the annual rhythm are shown below.
Monthly precipitation climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Aug (+68 mm, +35%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for North Korea
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
Country-level temperature anomaly, sourced from Copernicus ERA5 and Hadley HadCRUT5.
Annual country and global CO₂ emissions, from the Global Carbon Project.
Monthly rainfall - Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD) preferred, World Bank CCKP/CRU TS fallback where GPCC lacks direct coverage.
Frost Days and Heatwave Days (Warm Spell Duration Index), ERA5-derived. World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Monthly snow water-equivalent, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD).
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in North Korea changing?
North Korea is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
What is the climate like in North Korea?
North Korea has a continental climate (Köppen Dwa: Humid continental - dry winter, hot summer), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 22.8°C, while January is the coldest at -8.8°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1064mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for North Korea come from?
Climate data for North Korea comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the North Korea climate data cover?
The North Korea climate profile covers Pyongyang, Hamhung, Chongjin, Nampo and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for North Korea
How often is the North Korea climate update refreshed?
The North Korea climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.
What counts as a Heatwave Day on the North Korea climate page?
Heatwave Days use the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI-standard heatwave measure: days that are part of a run of 6 or more consecutive days above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that calendar day. The 90th-percentile threshold varies by time of year (a hot day in January is judged differently to one in July) but is fixed to the 1961-1990 baseline for every year shown - it does not shift as the climate warms, which is why Heatwave Days trend upward over time.
Does the North Korea climate page include frost and snow data?
Yes. Frost Days (days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, World Bank CCKP) and snow water-equivalent (GPCC) are shown alongside temperature and precipitation, each measured against the 1961-1990 baseline where a like-for-like historical comparison is available.