South Korea’s Jeju sees hottest spring on record this year

Tourists snorkle in the water in early summer weather in Jeju on Monday. Yonhap via The Korea Herald/Asia News Network

JEJU — Jeju Island experienced its hottest spring on record this year, with an average high of 19.3 C from March to May, the local weather agency said Tuesday.

The average temperature in the three-month period was 15.5 C, up 1.5 C from 14 C in the average year and the highest since record-keeping began in 1961, according to the Jeju branch of the Korea Meteorological Administration.

The average high during the three months was 19.3 C and the average low 12.1 C, also the highest on record for both categories.

By month, the average temperature in March was 12.5 C, with an average high of 16.2 C and average low of 9 C, the highest temperatures on record for the month.

Temperatures in April and May were also higher than the average, with large fluctuations in April and a high of 30.9 C in part of the island on May 15.

There were 28.3 rainy days, fewer than 29.8 in the average year, but the amount of rainfall fell within the average range at 386.6 millimeters.

The season saw 11 days of yellow dust, the third highest number since 1961, with the first yellow dust warning since 2010 being issued in March. (Yonhap)