South Korea records its fifth-warmest October
The national weather service describes a month of exceptional warmth in mid-October and sharp weather fluctuations.
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October 2026 was South Korea’s fifth-warmest October since records began. The Korea Meteorological Administration links the month to exceptional warmth in mid-October, followed by heavy precipitation towards the end of the month.
The Korea Meteorological Administration published its overview of October’s climate characteristics on Wednesday. According to the service, the month was the fifth-warmest October nationwide in the records. Yonhap also reports that the average sea temperature around the Korean peninsula was 22.7 degrees.
The month was not uniform. The first ten days were relatively dry, the middle of the month saw exceptionally high temperatures, and rain fell more frequently in the final part. The weather service thus highlights not only the monthly average but also the major differences within the month.
Temperatures of around 30 degrees were reportedly recorded in several places. That does not mean that all of South Korea experienced such temperatures throughout the month. These would have been local or temporary extremes within a month that as a whole ranked fifth.
Sea temperatures were also high. Yonhap reports that the average of 22.7 degrees during the 2017–2026 period was exceeded only in 2025 and 2024. A warmer sea can influence conditions for precipitation and storms, but these monthly figures do not automatically show that an individual storm was caused by climate change.
For the Netherlands, the broader development is particularly relevant: individual monthly records are not a complete climate trend, but they do fit a world in which heat extremes are receiving more attention. The Korean figures are a measurement covering one month; statements about climate change require longer series and model research.
Also show the region and a close-up
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The October ranking and sea temperature were checked against the Korean weather service and Yonhap. Causal interpretation concerning the climate has deliberately been limited to what the sources support.
- confirmed October 2026 was the fifth-warmest October in South Korea. — The Korean weather service gives this ranking. source
- confirmed The average sea temperature around Korea was 22.7 degrees. — Yonhap gives this figure and the comparison with 2024 and 2025. source
- confirmed The month had dry, warm and wet phases. — This phasing appears in the official monthly climate overview. source
Editor's note
The ranking and distribution of weather conditions are based on the Korean weather service. The text makes no causal claim about climate change based on a single month.Sources
- 2026년 10월 기후특성 — Korea Meteorological Administration
- October average temperature ranks fifth warmest — Yonhap
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „zuid-korea oktober”
- NU.nl — „zuid-korea oktober”
- De Telegraaf — „zuid-korea oktober”