North Korea Climate
Top 5 Cities: Pyongyang, Hamhung, Chongjin, Nampo, and Wonsan
This month in numbers
North Korea experienced an April that was 1.6°C warmer than the 1961–1990 baseline, with an average temperature of 8.34°C. This ranks as the 20th warmest April in 86 years of records. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperature, with an anomaly of +1.1°C, just shy of the record set in April 2025.
What changed
The February–April 2026 period in North Korea saw an average temperature of 0.76°C, which is 1.6°C above the 1961–1990 average, ranking as the 22nd warmest such period on record. This warming trend for North Korea is part of a broader global pattern, as the global land temperature for the same three-month period also ranked as the 2nd warmest on record. The country's latest annual average temperature for 2025 was 9°C, making it the warmest year on record.
What’s driving change?
A severe and unusual drought has persisted across much of North Korea in April 2026, impacting early-season wheat and barley crops and raising concerns about food shortages. This dry spell is considered unusual for the early growing season and has prompted nationwide irrigation efforts and water restrictions in some areas. The country's vulnerability to natural disasters is exacerbated by its weak infrastructure and economy. Climate change is contributing to more frequent and intense heatwaves, and the potential return of the El Niño weather phenomenon in 2026 could bring further heat and drought to parts of Asia.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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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.
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 trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
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.