Temperatures Hit 15°C as Spring Arrives; Rain Expected Nationwide

Spring-like weather will continue through Friday, with daytime temperatures reaching up to 15 degrees Celsius on Dec. 27.

Temperatures are expected to remain above seasonal averages for the time being, with morning lows of 1 to 9 degrees Celsius and daytime highs of 7 to 15 degrees Celsius. As temperatures rise, frozen ground will thaw and weaken, requiring caution for road and construction site subsidence, landslides, and falling rocks.

Skies will be mostly cloudy nationwide. The Seoul metropolitan area will clear from the morning, other central regions from the afternoon, and North Jeolla and Gyeongsang provinces from the evening. Rain will fall from early morning in Gangwon's east coast, southern Chungcheong, Jeolla, southern Gyeongsang, and Jeju Island. Gangwon's mountainous areas may see rain or snow.

Expected precipitation is less than 1mm for southern Daejeon and South Chungcheong and central-southern North Chungcheong; around 1mm for North Jeolla; around 5mm for Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang; and less than 5mm for Daegu, southern North Gyeongsang, Ulleungdo, and Dokdo. From late Thursday night, Gangwon's east coast and mountainous areas expect less than 5mm, while Gwangju and South Jeolla expect around 5mm. Snowfall of approximately 1cm is forecast for Gangwon's mountainous areas from late Thursday night.

Fine dust levels are expected to be "good" nationwide due to smooth atmospheric dispersion and clean easterly winds.

Wave heights are forecast at 1.0 to 2.5 meters in the East Sea, 0.5 to 1.0 meters in the West Sea, and 0.5 to 2.5 meters in the South Sea. Offshore waves approximately 200km from the coastline are expected to reach 0.5 to 2.5 meters in the West Sea, 1.0 to 2.5 meters in the East Sea, and 1.0 to 3.5 meters in the South Sea.