Seoul climate
Seoul (South Korea) has a monsoon-influenced hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa). The average temperature over the year is 12 °C53 °F, and about 1,240 mm49 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Seoul climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 133 | −720 | −326 | 200.8 | 30 |
| Feb | 338 | −523 | −131 | 311.2 | 26 |
| Mar | 948 | −130 | 439 | 371.5 | 19 |
| Apr | 1560 | 540 | 1050 | 722.8 | 2 |
| May | 2170 | 1152 | 1661 | 843.3 | 0 |
| Jun | 2678 | 1762 | 2170 | 1164.6 | 0 |
| Jul | 2882 | 2170 | 2476 | 36114 | 0 |
| Aug | 2883 | 2271 | 2577 | 26010 | 0 |
| Sep | 2576 | 1762 | 2169 | 1385.4 | 0 |
| Oct | 1965 | 1049 | 1457 | 532.1 | 0 |
| Nov | 1151 | 337 | 744 | 471.8 | 9 |
| Dec | 337 | −424 | −131 | 220.9 | 26 |
| Year | 2883 | −720 | 1253 | 1,24049 | 112 |
“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 | 77% | 56% | 2.4 | 9:50 |
| Feb | 74% | 52% | 3.2 | 10:45 |
| Mar | 74% | 50% | 4.3 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 74% | 53% | 5.0 | 13:07 |
| May | 75% | 56% | 5.6 | 14:11 |
| Jun | 76% | 65% | 5.2 | 14:45 |
| Jul | 84% | 76% | 4.2 | 14:31 |
| Aug | 83% | 65% | 4.5 | 13:36 |
| Sep | 79% | 57% | 4.2 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 75% | 44% | 3.6 | 11:09 |
| Nov | 75% | 52% | 2.4 | 10:05 |
| Dec | 76% | 55% | 2.1 | 9:35 |
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 Seoul is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 28 °C83 °F and a low of 22 °C71 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 1 °C33 °F and lows −7 °C20 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 28.2 °C50.8 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,240 mm49 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 61% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January. The wettest month is July (361 mm14 in), the driest is January (20 mm0.8 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 74% in February to 84% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 44%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in June to 12 km/h (7 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 9.6 hours in December to 14.7 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 15 cm).
Best time to visit Seoul
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and October: average highs of 19 °C65 °F to 21 °C70 °F with 53 mm2.1 in to 84 mm3.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 1 °C33 °F.
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.
Seoul weather by month
- January1 °C33 °F / −7 °C20 °F
- February3 °C38 °F / −5 °C23 °F
- March9 °C48 °F / −1 °C30 °F
- April15 °C60 °F / 5 °C40 °F
- May21 °C70 °F / 11 °C52 °F
- June26 °C78 °F / 17 °C62 °F
- July28 °C82 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- August28 °C83 °F / 22 °C71 °F
- September25 °C76 °F / 17 °C62 °F
- October19 °C65 °F / 10 °C49 °F
- November11 °C51 °F / 3 °C37 °F
- December3 °C37 °F / −4 °C24 °F
What to pack for Seoul
- Winter (December–February) — highs 133 to 3 °C38 °F, lows −720 to −4 °C24 °F, about 24 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 948 to 21 °C70 °F, lows −130 to 11 °C52 °F, about 64 mm2.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2678 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 1762 to 22 °C71 °F, about 246 mm9.7 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 1151 to 25 °C76 °F, lows 337 to 17 °C62 °F, about 79 mm3.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Seoul compares
Of the 34 places in South Korea covered by World Climates, Seoul is the 28th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 20th 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: Wŏnsan (North Korea, Dwa), Kangnyŏng (North Korea, Dwa) and Haeju (North Korea, Dwa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Incheon (pop. 3,015,482), Goyang-si (pop. 1,061,752), Bucheon-si (pop. 850,731), Ansan-si (pop. 623,256), Anyang-si (pop. 595,644), Gwangmyeong (pop. 357,545), Gunpo (pop. 286,485) and Gimpo-si (pop. 203,391). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Seoul, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Hanam 20 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,276 mm50 in
- Paju 28 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,217 mm48 in
- Yangju 31 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,217 mm48 in
- Suwon 31 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,240 mm49 in
- Hwaseong-si 42 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,232 mm48 in
- Osan 47 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,232 mm48 in
- Kaesŏng 58 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,133 mm45 in
- Chuncheon 75 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,290 mm51 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Seoul?
August is the warmest month in Seoul, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (71 °F).
What is the coldest month in Seoul?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 1 °C (33 °F) and an average low of -7 °C (20 °F).
When does it rain the most in Seoul?
July is the wettest month with about 361 mm (14.2 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 20 mm (0.8 in).
What is the best time to visit Seoul?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and 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.