Busan climate
Busan (South Korea) has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa). The average temperature over the year is 14 °C58 °F, and about 1,488 mm59 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Busan climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 643 | −131 | 337 | 301.2 | 18 |
| Feb | 847 | 134 | 540 | 522.0 | 11 |
| Mar | 1254 | 440 | 847 | 793.1 | 4 |
| Apr | 1762 | 948 | 1355 | 1375.4 | 0 |
| May | 2170 | 1456 | 1763 | 1445.7 | 0 |
| Jun | 2475 | 1864 | 2170 | 1756.9 | 0 |
| Jul | 2780 | 2272 | 2576 | 29912 | 0 |
| Aug | 2883 | 2475 | 2679 | 2449.6 | 0 |
| Sep | 2577 | 2068 | 2272 | 1756.9 | 0 |
| Oct | 2169 | 1457 | 1763 | 753.0 | 0 |
| Nov | 1558 | 745 | 1152 | 461.8 | 0 |
| Dec | 846 | 134 | 540 | 321.3 | 13 |
| Year | 2883 | −131 | 1458 | 1,48859 | 46 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 76% | 55% | 2.6 | 10:02 |
| Feb | 72% | 60% | 3.2 | 10:52 |
| Mar | 72% | 57% | 4.1 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 75% | 58% | 4.9 | 13:02 |
| May | 79% | 62% | 5.4 | 13:00 |
| Jun | 83% | 73% | 4.9 | 14:30 |
| Jul | 89% | 73% | 4.6 | 14:18 |
| Aug | 85% | 66% | 4.7 | 13:28 |
| Sep | 82% | 67% | 3.8 | 12:21 |
| Oct | 76% | 54% | 3.5 | 11:14 |
| Nov | 75% | 51% | 2.7 | 10:16 |
| Dec | 77% | 52% | 2.4 | 9:48 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Busan is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 28 °C83 °F and a low of 24 °C75 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 6 °C43 °F and lows −1 °C31 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 23.5 °C42.4 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,488 mm59 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 48% of the annual total. The wettest month is July (299 mm12 in), the driest is January (30 mm1.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 72% in February to 89% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 51%) are typical of November. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (6 mph) in June to 16 km/h (10 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.
Best time to visit Busan
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are October: average highs of 21 °C69 °F to 21 °C69 °F with 75 mm3.0 in to 75 mm3.0 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is very wet (299 mm12 in) and humid (89% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
Busan weather by month
- January6 °C43 °F / −1 °C31 °F
- February8 °C47 °F / 1 °C34 °F
- March12 °C54 °F / 4 °C40 °F
- April17 °C62 °F / 9 °C48 °F
- May21 °C70 °F / 14 °C56 °F
- June24 °C75 °F / 18 °C64 °F
- July27 °C80 °F / 22 °C72 °F
- August28 °C83 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- September25 °C77 °F / 20 °C68 °F
- October21 °C69 °F / 14 °C57 °F
- November15 °C58 °F / 7 °C45 °F
- December8 °C46 °F / 1 °C34 °F
What to pack for Busan
- Winter (December–February) — highs 643 to 8 °C47 °F, lows −131 to 1 °C34 °F, about 38 mm1.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1254 to 21 °C70 °F, lows 440 to 14 °C56 °F, about 120 mm4.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2475 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 1864 to 24 °C75 °F, about 239 mm9.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1558 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 745 to 20 °C68 °F, about 99 mm3.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Busan compares
Compared with Seoul, about 330 km to the northwest, Busan is on average 2.9 °C5.3 °F warmer and receives 20% more precipitation (1,488 mm59 in vs 1,240 mm49 in). The difference is largest in January (5.7 °C10.2 °F warmer).
Of the 34 places in South Korea covered by World Climates, Busan is the 5th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 3rd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the South Korea climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Kumagaya (Japan, Cfa), Kofu (Japan, Cfa) and Saitama (Japan, Cfa).
Nearby places
- Gijang 23 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,520 mm60 in
- Yangsan 27 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,342 mm53 in
- Changwon 35 km · 14 °C58 °F · 1,488 mm59 in
- Geoje 44 km · 14 °C58 °F · 1,488 mm59 in
- Ulsan 55 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,322 mm52 in
- Gyeongju 84 km · 14 °C57 °F · 1,186 mm47 in
- Chinju 87 km · 14 °C57 °F · 1,472 mm58 in
- Daegu 94 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,201 mm47 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Busan?
August is the warmest month in Busan, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (75 °F).
What is the coldest month in Busan?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 6 °C (43 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (31 °F).
When does it rain the most in Busan?
July is the wettest month with about 299 mm (11.8 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 30 mm (1.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Busan?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 70 m, while Busan lies at about 15 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.