Today's Seoul Highest Temperature Nears 30°C... Record-Breaking April Heatwave

April 14 Seoul Highest Temperature 29.4°C
Surpasses 29.1°C on April 1989

On Sunday the 14th, the highest daytime temperature in Seoul rose to 29.4 degrees Celsius, marking the hottest mid-April on record.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, as of 4 p.m. that day, Seoul recorded a daily maximum temperature of 29.4 degrees Celsius, the highest for mid-April since weather observations began in 1907. The previous record was 29.1 degrees Celsius, recorded on April 20, 1989.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Looking at the entire month of April, this is the third highest maximum temperature after 29.8 degrees on April 30, 2005, and 29.6 degrees on April 26, 2016.

Not only Seoul but also Dongducheon (30.4) and Icheon (29.7) in Gyeonggi Province, Chuncheon (30.3), Wonju (30.1), Cheorwon (29.9), Jeongseon and Yeongwol (32.2), Inje (30.5), Hongcheon (30.9) in Gangwon Province, and Gunsan (27.5) in Jeollabuk-do also set new records for the highest daily temperatures in mid-April.

A Korea Meteorological Administration official explained, “With generally clear skies nationwide, strong solar radiation during the day combined with warm air flowing in from the south caused daytime temperatures to rise to around 30 degrees Celsius, especially inland.”

The KMA forecasts that with rain expected nationwide on the 15th, temperatures will return to levels similar to the average. The minimum temperature on the morning of the 15th is expected to be between 12 and 18 degrees Celsius, and the maximum daytime temperature between 17 and 21 degrees Celsius, dropping 5 to 10 degrees compared to the 14th.

The rain, caused by a low-pressure system approaching from the west, is expected to begin on the night of the 14th in Jeju, then start in the early morning of the 15th along the central west coast and Honam region, spreading nationwide between the morning and forenoon of the 15th, continuing until the morning of the 16th.

Expected rainfall amounts are 30 to 100 mm (with up to 120 mm or more in the Jeju mountain area) in Jeju (excluding the northern part), 10 to 50 mm in northern Jeju, 20 to 60 mm in Gwangju, Jeonnam, Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam (with up to 80 mm or more near the southern coast and Jirisan), and 20 to 60 mm in Incheon, northwestern Gyeonggi, and the five western islands.

Seoul, Gyeonggi (excluding northwestern Gyeonggi), and Jeonbuk are expected to receive 10 to 40 mm of rain; Gangwon inland and mountain areas, Chungcheong, Daegu, and Gyeongbuk 5 to 30 mm; and Gangwon east coast, Ulleungdo, and Dokdo 5 to 10 mm of rain.