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Weather in Korea
Korea, located mid-latitude in the Northern hemisphere between the two tropic zones, has four seasons (you will hear this a lot). The best seasons for visiting Korea are the fall and the spring when the weather is the nicest. For up to the date weather information on all Korean cities go to: http://weather.yahoo.com/regional/KSXX.html
Spring (mid-March-end May): The weather usually starts warming up around mid-March. The spring season is best known for the cherry blossoms which bloom all over Korea. People usually go to parks and cherry blossom festivals to take pictures of the blossoms. They really are quite beautiful. For a brief period in the spring, Korea experiences the ‘Yellow Sand’ phenomena from China and Mongolia.
In mid-March when the weather starts warming up, you will still need a jacket particularly in the morning and evening when it is cooler. But by April the temperature is quite pleasant, sit-outdoors type of weather, usually averaging in the low 20s (70F). By the end of May, temperatures are beginning to get quite warm right before the beginning of the summer season.
Summer (June-early September): Summers in Korea tend to be hot and humid. The warmest month of the year is August with highs often about 30C (90F). In late June/early July, Korea experiences the monsoon season, where it rains heavily everyday. This usually lasts for two or three weeks. During the summer most people who are working stick to air-conditioned buildings to beat the heat. People who have vacations usually head to the beaches or seaside resorts to get relief from the heat.
Fall (early September-late November): This is the best season of the year. The weather is usually pleasantly warm T-shirt weather, great for outdoors activities. The fall sees very little rainfall and skies are often blue and clear. One of the most popular activities in the fall is heading to one of the nearby mountains to take in the fresh air and view the changing colors of the leaves. By mid/late November, the temperature starts to cool off and you may need a jacket in the evening.
Winter (December-mid-March): Winters in Korea are cold and dry with a traditional cycle of three cold days followed by four warmer ones. Usually winters are characterized by clear, blue skies and there is very little rainfall. Snow may be heavy in the mountainous regions but is not that common in the major cities. In Seoul you can usually expect to see snow once or twice each winter. January is the coldest month in Korea with temperatures ranging from -5C to 5C. Temperatures in the Southern parts of the country like Busan tend to be a little milder than in Seoul (usually 3-6 degrees warmer). There are great resorts around Korea for skiing and snowboarding and these activities are very popular in the winter.
