Seoul climate — normals and trends
Seoul (South Korea) has a hot-summer humid continental, dry winter climate (Dwa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 11.6 °C and it receives 1,227 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is August (25.4 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-3.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in July.
Seoul averages 113 frost days, 27 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 100 rainy days per year.
Seoul has warmed by +2.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.24 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 123 to 103 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 38.3 °C (on 15 August 2018) and the coldest -25.3 °C (on 14 January 2001).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
SeoulSeoul
- coords
- 37.57°, 126.98°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
11.6°C
Average daily high
16.5°C
Average daily low
7.2°C
Annual rainfall
1,227mm
Sunshine / day
8.6h
Mean relative humidity
72%
Average peak wind
14.5km/h
Seasonal range
29.1°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
113 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
27 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
100 d/yr
Annual snowfall
20.9 cm
Average feels-like high
15.6 °C
Average feels-like low
5.7 °C
Average peak gust
33.1 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
59 d/yr
Solar radiation
14.8 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.0 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.50 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
38.3 °C
15 August 2018
Coldest day
-25.3 °C
14 January 2001
Wettest day
236 mm
11 June 1948
Windiest day
51.7 km/h
7 September 2019
Strongest gust
118.1 km/h
28 August 2012
Hottest feels-like
44.7 °C
3 August 1959
Coldest feels-like
-31.2 °C
14 January 2001
Snowiest day
19.6 cm
28 January 1969
Sunniest day
14.2 h
23 June 1960
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.4 °C | +2.3 °C | 18 mm | -4 mm |
| Feb | 3.5 °C | -0.5 °C | 4 mm | -22 mm |
| Mar | 12.9 °C | +2.9 °C | 48 mm | +3 mm |
| Apr | 18.3 °C | +1.2 °C | 96 mm | +17 mm |
| May | 21.7 °C | -0.7 °C | 87 mm | -6 mm |
| Jun | 27.7 °C | +1.5 °C | 149 mm | +11 mm |
| Jul | 31.3 °C | +3.0 °C | 267 mm | -50 mm |
| Aug | 30.8 °C | +1.6 °C | 237 mm | -3 mm |
| Sep | 26.7 °C | +1.6 °C | 291 mm | +148 mm |
| Oct | 20.2 °C | +1.0 °C | 160 mm | +109 mm |
| Nov | 13.7 °C | +2.3 °C | 13 mm | -34 mm |
| Dec | 4.7 °C | +1.0 °C | 43 mm | +16 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Seoul?
Seoul has a hot-summer humid continental, dry winter climate (Köppen Dwa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 11.6 °C and it receives 1,227 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Seoul?
The hottest day measured in Seoul between 1940 and 2025 was 15 August 2018, reaching 38.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Seoul?
The coldest day measured in Seoul between 1940 and 2025 was 14 January 2001, at -25.3 °C.
Does it snow in Seoul?
Yes. Seoul gets on average 20.9 cm of snow per year and has around 113 frost days.
Has the climate of Seoul warmed?
Yes: Seoul warmed by +2.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Seoul?
The wettest day measured in Seoul between 1940 and 2025 was 11 June 1948, with 236 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Seoul?
The windiest day measured in Seoul between 1940 and 2025 was 7 September 2019, with winds reaching 51.7 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Seoul?
The warmest month in Seoul is August (25.4 °C on average); the coldest is January (-3.7 °C).
How much does it rain in Seoul?
Seoul receives on average 1,227 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 100 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Seoul?
Seoul gets on average 8.6 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,139 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Seoul?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Seoul between 1940 and 2025 was 28 January 1969, with 19.6 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Seoul?
Yes: Seoul has on average 59 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Seoul?
In Seoul, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 44.7 °C on 3 August 1959, and the lowest was -31.2 °C on 14 January 2001.
Compare Seoul with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Seoul