South Korea Climate
Top 5 Cities: Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu, and Daejeon
This month in numbers
South Korea experienced a significantly warmer April, with an average temperature of 12.82°C, marking an anomaly of +1.5°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranked as the 17th warmest April in 86 years of records. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The period of February to April 2026 saw an average temperature of 6.36°C, an anomaly of +1.3°C, ranking as the 23rd warmest such period on record. This continues a trend of warmer conditions, with 2025 being the warmest year on record for South Korea, at 14.18°C. The country's long-term warming trend stands at +1.55°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. In April, South Korea experienced a summer-like heatwave with daytime highs reaching 27°C, about 6°C above average, particularly in inland areas. This was followed by a brief cold snap in early April, with temperatures dropping below seasonal norms.
What’s driving change?
The warmer temperatures in April were driven by a mobile high-pressure system north of the country and a low-pressure system to the south, allowing warm, humid southeasterly winds to flow in. This created clear skies and air stagnation, leading to sharp temperature increases during daylight hours, a phenomenon also observed in April of the previous year. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C for February-April 2026, though an El Niño phase is most likely to develop from May-July onwards, with probabilities increasing through the summer months. Historically, El Niño conditions during December-February have been associated with warmer, wetter winters in East Asia, including Korea. South Korea's atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration reached its highest level ever in 2025, at 432.7 parts per million, surpassing the global average.
Looking ahead
An evolving El Niño phase suggests a likelihood of warmer and wetter conditions for East Asia in the coming months, aligning with historical patterns for the region during such events.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for South 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 South Korea changing?
South 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 South Korea come from?
Climate data for South 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 South Korea climate data cover?
The South Korea climate profile covers Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for South Korea
How often is the South Korea climate update refreshed?
The South 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.