January is the coldest month of the year.

The average minimum temperature in January in Daegwallyeong, which is the coldest among Korea's official observatories, is minus 12.2 degrees, which means that statistically every morning is minus 12 degrees. 



However, on the 12th, the temperature in Daegwallyeong soared to 11.2 degrees Celsius, recording the warmest January day in observation history.

The temperature rose to 18.7 degrees in Gangneung-do and plum blossoms bloomed, and the temperature in Jinju, Gyeongnam soared to 20.1 degrees Celsius.

This is the weather for mid-April, when you can walk around in short sleeves.


what's going on now

The situation was the same in areas where observational data was accumulated for 80 years.

In Pohang, which has observation records since 1943, before liberation, the temperature rose to 17.6 degrees, and Yeosu, which has observation data from 1942, reached 18.4 degrees, a record high.



Abnormal high temperatures continued, and the next day, on the 13th, it rained instead of snow in the middle of winter.

In fact, in January, the weather is cold and dry, so even if it rains, it doesn't rain much. Geoje Island has 108, Namhae has 89, Yangsan has 70, Yeosu has 58, and Haenam has 43mm.

Areas along the southern coast recorded the highest daily precipitation ever recorded in January, and 316mm of heavy rain fell in just one day on the Samgakbong Peak of Hallasan Mountain in Jeju Island. 



A very unusual phenomenon has occurred.


Is the high temperature phenomenon over?

Even so, most people go over it like it's no big deal.

Extreme abnormal high temperatures have returned to January weather as the cold air in the north has retreated.



For the time being, the weather will lead to a 'cold trend'.

Later in the week, a high pressure system in the shape of the Greek letter omega (Ω) develops over western Russia.

Because these huge high pressure blocks atmospheric flow, it's called blocking.

This is what is called 'omega blocking'.

If this huge high pressure settles in the west of Russia, Russia, eastern China, and Korea will experience prolonged cold weather.

As the high pressure rotates clockwise, cold air from the Arctic continues to descend to the right of the high pressure. 



As a result, for a while, the weather will be similar to normal or cold rather than high temperatures.

The average minimum temperature in mid-January in Seoul is -5.4℃.

It is said that winter, which is similar to normal years, is cold.

On Saturday, the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the temperature in Seoul is expected to be -10℃, -6℃ on the day of the New Year's Day, and -12℃ on Tuesday, the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday.


why is it important

Abnormal high temperatures will soon be forgotten in people's minds, but the strange weather that appears every day is evidence of climate change.

It's only one day for us, but when these days are gathered into yearly statistics, you will feel that the climate is changing.



Often when we look at climate change, we see 30 years of average observational data.

For 30 years from 1970 to 2000, the average minimum temperature in January in Seoul was -6.1 degrees below zero, but recently, from 1990 to 2020, the lowest temperature has warmed by 0.6 degrees to -5.5 degrees Celsius.



In the case of August, it became hotter from 25.4℃ to 26.1℃ during the same period.

A collection of weather extremes makes it clear that the Earth is getting warmer. 


to explain a bit more

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has recently published a provisional climate change report for 2022, <WMO Provisional State of the Global Climate 2022>.



The global average temperature last year was estimated to have increased by about 1.15℃ on average compared to the pre-industrial period of 1850-1900.

This is more than the 1.1℃ that students learn in recent textbooks.



The Greenland ice sheet has been declining for 26 years, and last year saw rain rather than snow for the first time in September. 



The volume of Swiss glaciers has decreased by 6.2% compared to the previous year, the first such significant decrease since the 2000s.

Also in the report, the decrease shown in purple is beyond the range of the graph.



**If the 'Go to View' button is not pressed, you can view the address by moving it to the address bar.