Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Gwangju South Korea

In Gwangju, the summers are warm, muggy, wet, and mostly cloudy and the winters are very cold and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 24°F to 88°F and is rarely below 15°F or above 95°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best times of year to visit Gwangju for warm-weather activities are from late May to late June and from late August to late September.

The hot season lasts for 3.7 months, from May 27 to September 19, with an average daily high temperature above 79°F. The hottest month of the year in Gwangju is August, with an average high of 87°F and low of 72°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.0 months, from December 1 to March 2, with an average daily high temperature below 49°F. The coldest month of the year in Gwangju is January, with an average low of 24°F and high of 40°F.

In Gwangju, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Gwangju begins around September 8 and lasts for 4.0 months, ending around January 8.

The clearest month of the year in Gwangju is October, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 68% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around January 8 and lasts for 8.0 months, ending around September 8.

The cloudiest month of the year in Gwangju is July, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 59% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Gwangju varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 3.0 months, from June 12 to September 11, with a greater than 30% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Gwangju is July, with an average of 14.8 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 9.0 months, from September 11 to June 12. The month with the fewest wet days in Gwangju is January, with an average of 3.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Gwangju is July, with an average of 14.8 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 50% on July 7.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Gwangju experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Gwangju. The month with the most rain in Gwangju is July, with an average rainfall of 10.1 inches.

The month with the least rain in Gwangju is January, with an average rainfall of 0.8 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Gwangju experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 1.6 months, from December 20 to February 8, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Gwangju is January, with an average snowfall of 1.3 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 10 months, from February 8 to December 20. The least snow falls around July 19, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Gwangju varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 47 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 14 hours, 32 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:17 AM on June 13, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 24 minutes later at 7:41 AM on January 8. The earliest sunset is at 5:20 PM on December 5, and the latest sunset is 2 hours, 31 minutes later at 7:50 PM on June 29.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Gwangju during 2024.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Gwangju experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from June 8 to September 22, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 24% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Gwangju is July, with 28.1 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Gwangju is December, with 0.0 days that are muggy or worse.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Gwangju experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 6.0 months, from November 15 to May 13, with average wind speeds of more than 8.1 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Gwangju is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.4 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.0 months, from May 13 to November 15. The calmest month of the year in Gwangju is September, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.8 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Gwangju varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 3.4 weeks, from April 20 to May 14 and for 2.5 months, from June 3 to August 17, with a peak percentage of 49% on July 21. The wind is most often from the east for 4.1 weeks, from August 17 to September 15, with a peak percentage of 38% on September 13. The wind is most often from the north for 7.2 months, from September 15 to April 20, with a peak percentage of 65% on January 1.

Gwangju is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 2.6 months, from July 10 to September 28, with an average temperature above 72°F. The month of the year in Gwangju with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 77°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.2 months, from December 18 to April 24, with an average temperature below 55°F. The month of the year in Gwangju with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 49°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Gwangju throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Gwangju for general outdoor tourist activities are from late May to late June and from late August to late September, with a peak score in the second week of September.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Gwangju for hot-weather activities is from mid July to late August, with a peak score in the first week of August.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Gwangju typically lasts for 7.0 months (215 days), from around April 3 to around November 4, rarely starting before March 17 or after April 20, and rarely ending before October 18 or after November 20.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Gwangju should appear around April 4, only rarely appearing before March 25 or after April 13.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 4.0 months, from April 13 to August 13, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.7 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Gwangju is May, with an average of 6.3 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from November 10 to February 5, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.2 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Gwangju is December, with an average of 2.4 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Gwangju are 35.155 deg latitude, 126.916 deg longitude, and 154 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Gwangju contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,070 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 222 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,845 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (6,211 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Gwangju is covered by sparse vegetation (47%) and artificial surfaces (39%), within 10 miles by trees (34%) and sparse vegetation (31%), and within 50 miles by trees (32%) and water (23%).