January is one of the cooler months of the year in Korea, with average highs near 29.9°C and lows around 5.6°C (mean 17.8°C). It is one of the drier months, averaging 21 mm of rainfall and 47% relative humidity across the period.
January is one of the cooler months of the year in Korea. Across 45 years of records, the warmest January in Korea was 2009 — when the month averaged 20.9°C — while the coldest was 2020 at 14.1°C. Typical January days reach 29.9°C with nights near 5.6°C. The long-term trend is cooling, about 0.4°C per decade.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 18.2°C | 17.8°C | 18.9°C | 16.9°C | 16.5°C | -1.7°C |
| Avg High | 30.0°C | 30.1°C | 31.4°C | 29.0°C | 28.5°C | -1.5°C |
| Avg Low | 6.5°C | 5.6°C | 6.4°C | 4.9°C | 4.4°C | -2.1°C |
| Avg Rain | 29 mm | 23 mm | 17 mm | 20 mm | 17 mm | -12 mm |
January temperatures in Korea have fallen by about 1.6°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
January has ranged from a record low of 2.6°C (2020) to a record high of 34.1°C (2001).
Rainfall in January is one of the drier months, averaging 21 mm, with a wettest year of 103 mm.
Daytime highs and overnight lows have shifted differently — highs fell about 0.3°C per decade while lows fell 0.5°C per decade, widening the gap between day and night.
A good time to visit Korea
January is a good time to visit Korea, with days averaging 29.9°C and nights around 5.6°C (mean 17.8°C, cooler than Korea's yearly average) and low rainfall. February and October are marginally more temperate, but January still suits most travellers.
| Year | High | Low | Avg | Rainfall | Humidity | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 31.8°C | 5.3°C | 18.5°C | 0 mm | 51% | 1.6 m/s | 4.1 |
| 2024 | 27.4°C | 5.4°C | 16.4°C | 7 mm | 58% | 1.3 m/s | 3.6 |
| 2023 | 29.5°C | 2.9°C | 16.2°C | 0 mm | 54% | 1.6 m/s | 3.8 |
| 2022 | 27.0°C | 4.0°C | 15.5°C | 31 mm | 64% | 1.4 m/s | 3.7 |
| 2021 | 29.7°C | 6.4°C | 18.1°C | 7 mm | 49% | 1.4 m/s | 3.8 |
| 2020 ❄️ | 25.6°C | 2.6°C | 14.1°C | 57 mm | 70% | 1.6 m/s | 3.7 |
| 2019 | 30.2°C | 4.8°C | 17.5°C | 30 mm | 41% | 1.5 m/s | 4 |
| 2018 | 30.7°C | 6.4°C | 18.5°C | 0 mm | 30% | 1.5 m/s | 4.6 |
| 2017 | 30.3°C | 4.7°C | 17.5°C | 5 mm | 52% | 1.6 m/s | 4.1 |
| 2016 | 31.4°C | 4.7°C | 18.1°C | 19 mm | 41% | 1.5 m/s | 3.9 |
| 2015 | 27.4°C | 4.8°C | 16.1°C | 30 mm | 57% | 1.7 m/s | 3.6 |
| 2014 | 26.3°C | 6.8°C | 16.5°C | 18 mm | 68% | 1.6 m/s | 3.6 |
| 2013 | 29.5°C | 3.6°C | 16.5°C | 2 mm | 46% | 1.7 m/s | 4.3 |
| 2012 | 26.6°C | 3.3°C | 14.9°C | 93 mm | 64% | 1.6 m/s | 3.6 |
| 2011 | 29.2°C | 3.4°C | 16.3°C | 1 mm | 42% | 1.7 m/s | 4.4 |
| 2010 | 28.3°C | 6.3°C | 17.3°C | 3 mm | 40% | 1.5 m/s | 4.4 |
| 2009 🔥 | 33.4°C | 8.3°C | 20.9°C | 20 mm | 51% | 1.6 m/s | 4.1 |
| 2008 | 29.2°C | 5.8°C | 17.5°C | 6 mm | 46% | 1.7 m/s | 4.1 |
| 2007 | 32.8°C | 8.0°C | 20.4°C | 0 mm | 29% | 1.5 m/s | 4.3 |
| 2006 | 33.1°C | 5.8°C | 19.5°C | 0 mm | 35% | 1.6 m/s | 4.7 |
| 2005 | 29.2°C | 6.2°C | 17.7°C | 77 mm | 47% | 1.6 m/s | 3.8 |
| 2004 | 28.5°C | 6.5°C | 17.5°C | 33 mm | 62% | 1.4 m/s | 4.2 |
| 2003 | 31.7°C | 5.5°C | 18.6°C | 3 mm | 32% | 1.9 m/s | 4.4 |
| 2002 | 31.5°C | 6.1°C | 18.8°C | 21 mm | 44% | 1.5 m/s | 4.3 |
| 2001 | 34.1°C | 5.8°C | 19.9°C | 2 mm | 24% | 1.9 m/s | 4.5 |
| 2000 | 30.4°C | 6.0°C | 18.2°C | 5 mm | 39% | 1.6 m/s | 4.8 |
| 1999 | 29.8°C | 5.3°C | 17.6°C | 0 mm | 46% | 1.5 m/s | 4.9 |
| 1998 | 25.5°C | 3.4°C | 14.4°C | 101 mm | 72% | 1.5 m/s | 3.9 |
| 1997 | 30.3°C | 4.2°C | 17.3°C | 18 mm | 37% | 1.5 m/s | 4.3 |
| 1996 | 27.7°C | 8.0°C | 17.8°C | 54 mm | 61% | 1.7 m/s | 4 |
| 1995 | 27.2°C | 5.2°C | 16.2°C | 41 mm | 50% | 1.6 m/s | 4.1 |
| 1994 | 32.2°C | 6.0°C | 19.1°C | 17 mm | 48% | 1.5 m/s | 4.4 |
| 1993 | 31.1°C | 7.6°C | 19.3°C | 0 mm | 31% | 2 m/s | 4.7 |
| 1992 | 32.0°C | 4.6°C | 18.3°C | 0 mm | 36% | 1.8 m/s | 4.7 |
| 1991 | 31.5°C | 3.5°C | 17.5°C | 0 mm | 47% | 1.8 m/s | 4.5 |
| 1990 | 33.3°C | 7.9°C | 20.6°C | 0 mm | 33% | 2.1 m/s | 4.9 |
| 1989 | 31.8°C | 4.1°C | 18.0°C | 0 mm | 24% | 2 m/s | 4.6 |
| 1988 | 30.8°C | 8.6°C | 19.7°C | 7 mm | 39% | 1.7 m/s | 4.5 |
| 1987 | 29.2°C | 4.8°C | 17.0°C | 17 mm | 47% | 1.6 m/s | 4.3 |
| 1986 | 29.6°C | 4.6°C | 17.1°C | 16 mm | 46% | 1.5 m/s | 4.5 |
| 1985 | 30.1°C | 8.2°C | 19.1°C | 47 mm | 56% | 1.6 m/s | 4.1 |
| 1984 | 28.8°C | 7.0°C | 17.9°C | 30 mm | 58% | 1.6 m/s | 3.8 |
| 1983 | 30.2°C | 6.2°C | 18.2°C | 3 mm | 37% | 1.9 m/s | — |
| 1982 🌧️ | 29.2°C | 10.7°C | 20.0°C | 103 mm | 63% | 1.6 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 29.9°C | 4.4°C | 17.2°C | 40 mm | 58% | 1.5 m/s | — |
Actual recorded January data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in January is around 29.9°C with lows near 5.6°C (mean 17.8°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
January averages 21 mm of rainfall in Korea, one of the drier months. The wettest on record was 103 mm in 1982.
The hottest January reached 34.1°C in 2001. The coldest dipped to 2.6°C in 2020.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average January temperatures have fallen by about 1.6°C. Daytime highs moved from 29.6°C to 29.1°C and overnight lows from 7.3°C to 4.8°C over the same span.
January is one of the cooler months of the year in Korea and one of the drier months, so plan for around 29.9°C daytime highs and 5.6°C at night.
Not quite — January is the 2nd coolest month in Korea, averaging 17.8°C.
For January in Korea, pack warm layers and a jacket for chilly mornings, with typical highs of 29.9°C and lows of 5.6°C.
Relative humidity in January averages 47% — relatively dry.
Average wind speed in January is 1.6 m/s. The windiest January on record averaged 2.1 m/s (1990).
The wettest January on record was 1982 with 103 mm. On average, January sees 21 mm.
All figures are derived from NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), based on MERRA-2 satellite reanalysis, covering 1981–2025.
Explore how the weather in Korea behaves each January, based on 45 years of NASA POWER climate data from 1981 to 2025. This page breaks down average temperatures, rainfall, humidity, wind and solar radiation for January specifically, along with year-by-year records and how the month has changed over the decades.
