In Seoul, the capital of South Korea, located in the northwest of the country, a short distance from the coast of the Yellow Sea, the climate is
, with cold, sunny winters and hot, sultry and rainy summers. Like the rest of Korea, the city is affected by the
: in winter, the northwest cold currents will prevail, while in summer, they will be replaced by hot and humid currents of tropical origin. Spring and autumn are transitional periods, mild and pleasant, especially the month of October.
, the average temperature is a few degrees below freezing (0 °C or 32 °F); sunshine is quite common, and a cold wind blows from the Asian continent. On colder periods, the temperature remains below freezing even during the day. The coldest record is -21.1 °C (-6 °F) and was set in January 1958.
in Korean), which comes from the desert of Mongolia and from China (though in truth, there is also a contribution given by local pollution) and forms a characteristic haze; it can also bring breathing problems and eye irritation.
Spring is mild, but the rains increase gradually.
: from June to August, more than 800 millimeters (31.5 inches) of rain fall. The rains can sometimes be torrential. Usually, the worst month, the wettest and least sunny, is July. In summer, there can also be periods of good weather, which can be very hot, with highs about 35 °C (95 °F) and more. The highest record is 39.6 °C (103.3 °F) and was set in August 2018.
In autumn, rainfall decreases, and by October, the rains are quite rare.
per year on average. The amount of sunshine is decent in winter, and also in spring and autumn (although it's lower than in the southern part of the country, like in Busan), while it hits a low in July because of the summer monsoon (the amount of sunshine drops to 27%, so cloudy skies prevail).
is very cold in winter, but it warms up a lot in summer, reaching 24 °C (75 °F) in August.
From July to early October (and occasionally also in the second half of June), Seoul can be affected by
, the tropical cyclones of South-East Asia, although this area of Korea is less exposed than the southern coast.
The best times to visit Seoul are spring and autumn, and particularly from early May to early June and from mid-September to mid-October.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-2.1 °C, with a minimum of
-6.2 °C and a maximum of
2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-13 °C. However, it dropped to
-18.6 °C in January 2001.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
9 °C. However, it reached
13.5 °C in January 2002.
Precipitation amounts to
15 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 5.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 55% of the time.
The average humidity is 55%.
The average wind speed is of
8.5 kph.
February is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
0.6 °C, with a minimum of
-3.8 °C and a maximum of
5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-11 °C. However, it dropped to
-17.1 °C in February 2012.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
13 °C. However, it reached
17.9 °C in February 2010.
Precipitation amounts to
30 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 56% of the time.
The average humidity is 53%.
The average wind speed is of
9.1 kph.
March is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
6.1 °C, with a minimum of
1.3 °C and a maximum of
10.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-4.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-6.9 °C in March 2015.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
19 °C. However, it reached
23.8 °C in March 2013.
Precipitation amounts to
35 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 53% of the time.
The average humidity is 53%.
The average wind speed is of
9.9 kph.
April is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12.6 °C, with a minimum of
7.4 °C and a maximum of
17.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
2 °C. However, it dropped to
-3.4 °C in April 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25.5 °C. However, it reached
29.8 °C in April 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
75 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 52% of the time.
The average humidity is 53%.
The average wind speed is of
9.9 kph.
May is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
18.3 °C, with a minimum of
13 °C and a maximum of
23.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
9 °C. However, it dropped to
5.8 °C in May 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
30 °C. However, it reached
33.3 °C in May 2014.
Precipitation amounts to
105 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 10 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 51% of the time.
The average humidity is 58%.
The average wind speed is of
8.9 kph.
June is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
22.9 °C, with a minimum of
18.3 °C and a maximum of
27.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
14.5 °C. However, it dropped to
10.8 °C in June 1992.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32.5 °C. However, it reached
35.2 °C in June 2020.
Precipitation amounts to
130 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 40 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 43% of the time.
The average humidity is 64%.
The average wind speed is of
7.9 kph.
July is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
25.5 °C, with a minimum of
22 °C and a maximum of
28.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
19 °C. However, it dropped to
16.2 °C in July 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
33.5 °C. However, it reached
38.4 °C in July 1994.
Precipitation amounts to
415 mm, distributed over 16 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 25 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 28% of the time.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
8.1 kph.
August, the hottest month of the year, is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
26.3 °C, with a minimum of
22.6 °C and a maximum of
29.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
18.5 °C. However, it dropped to
14.6 °C in August 2005.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
34.5 °C. However, it reached
39.6 °C in August 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
350 mm, distributed over 15 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 37% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
7.7 kph.
September is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
21.6 °C, with a minimum of
17.2 °C and a maximum of
26.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12 °C. However, it dropped to
8.4 °C in September 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
31 °C. However, it reached
32.8 °C in September 1998.
Precipitation amounts to
140 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 48% of the time.
The average humidity is 65%.
The average wind speed is of
7 kph.
October is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
15 °C, with a minimum of
9.9 °C and a maximum of
20.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
3 °C. However, it dropped to
-2 °C in October 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
26 °C. However, it reached
29 °C in October 2014.
Precipitation amounts to
50 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 60% of the time.
The average humidity is 60%.
The average wind speed is of
7.2 kph.
November is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
7.2 °C, with a minimum of
2.7 °C and a maximum of
11.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-5 °C. However, it dropped to
-10 °C in November 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
19.5 °C. However, it reached
25.9 °C in November 2011.
Precipitation amounts to
50 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 52% of the time.
The average humidity is 59%.
The average wind speed is of
8.1 kph.
December is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
0 °C, with a minimum of
-4.1 °C and a maximum of
4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-11 °C. However, it dropped to
-15.1 °C in December 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
12 °C. However, it reached
15.9 °C in December 2002.
Precipitation amounts to
25 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 35 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 5.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 55% of the time.
The average humidity is 56%.
The average wind speed is of
8.2 kph.