Pyongyang weather in December

December in Pyongyang: freezing, dry — one of the weakest months to visit.

Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Pyongyang🇰🇵 North Korea · Korea · City45
  1. 43Jan
  2. 50Feb
  3. 71Mar
  4. 84Apr
  5. 88May
  6. 77Jun
  7. 58Jul
  8. 57Aug
  9. 83Sep
  10. 80Oct
  11. 65Nov
  12. 45Dec

#11 of 12 months in Pyongyang · #1261 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 45/100 (tier F)

Days
1°C
Nights
-8°C
Wet days
4
Sun
7.1 h
Humidity
60%
Daylight
10 h
Pyongyang, North Korea
Photo: Clay Gilliland · CC BY-SA 2.0

Traveller notes on Pyongyang in December

Other months in Pyongyang

Detailed month-specific trip reports for Pyongyang are scarce on the forum, since tourism here runs exclusively through organized, closely controlled group tours rather than independent travel. Posters discussing the wider Korean peninsula's winter note that North Korea's proper winter cold sets in from December, with January averaging as low as -13C to -3C, implying November should sit in a milder transitional stretch ahead of that deep cold. One visitor's general account described extremely cold weather during their trip, though without specifying the exact month. Given the sparse destination-specific detail, this note is grounded in the well-established regional pattern for this part of continental East Asia: November as a cooling, increasingly crisp autumn month, well short of Pyongyang's harsh winter but no longer mild.
Tripadvisor community · November · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Forum posters describe May, including a May Day trip specifically, as a workable time to visit Pyongyang on one of the tightly controlled guided tours that are the only way to enter North Korea as a tourist. Posters don't detail granular daily temperatures, but May in Pyongyang generally sits in the mild, comfortable stretch between the cold winter and the humid peak-summer months, with real spring warmth by midday and cooler mornings and evenings. Posters consistently note that all sightseeing here happens on a fixed, guide-led itinerary regardless of season, so weather affects the experience mainly at the margins - which monuments get extra time, whether an outdoor event runs as scheduled - rather than determining whether a trip happens at all.
Tripadvisor community · May · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Add your own note from Pyongyang's card on the map.

Pyongyang climate normals — December

Daytime high1°C / 34°F🥶 freezing
Nighttime low-8°C / 18°F
Feels like (high)-3°C / 27°F
Rainfall25 mm / 1 in☀️ dry
Rainy days4 days
Humidity60%🍃 comfortable
Dew point-9°C / 16°F
Sunshine7.1 h/day
Daylight9.5 h
Wind16 km/h / 10 mph
Snowfall7.5 cm / 3 in
Air quality (US AQI)57🙂 moderate

Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.

Crowds in Pyongyang in December

How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.

Quietschool holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather(estimated)

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet

Best months for Pyongyang's weather

Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).

Toughest weatherPyongyang's best weather comes in April, May and September — separate windows, not one continuous season.

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Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather

What's on in Pyongyang in December

Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.

  • Rule

    Organised tours only

    1 Jan – 31 DecBook earlyClosures

    There is no independent travel here. Visits run as organised group tours with assigned guides, the borders have reopened only partly since 2020, and most Western governments advise against going at all. Source ↗

What's on around the world in December →

Nearby, and something's on

Within 300 km of Pyongyang — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.

Where is Pyongyang?

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Pyongyang in December — FAQ

Is December a good time to visit Pyongyang?
December in Pyongyang: freezing, dry — one of the weakest months to visit. It ranks #11 of 12 months for Pyongyang on SeasonMap's comfort score (45/100).
What is the weather like in Pyongyang in December?
In December, Pyongyang averages a daily high of 1°C and a low of -7.6°C, with about 25.2 mm of rain over roughly 4.4 rainy days.
What is the air quality in Pyongyang in December?
Pyongyang has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 57 in December.
Does it snow in Pyongyang in December?
Pyongyang sees roughly 7.5 cm of snowfall in December.

Within 300 km: Seoul's Gimjang, kimchi-making around 15 Nov – 10 Dec.