Climate and average weather in Gwangju
In Gwangju, the summers are muggy, hot, wet, and partly cloudy and the winters are cold, snowy, and partly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Gwangju typically varies from -4°C to 30°C, and is rarely below -8°C or above 34°C. August is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Gwangju for warm-weather activities are from mid April to mid June and early September to early November.
- Hottest
- Aug
- 30°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -4°
- Wettest
- Jul
- 255 mm
- Driest
- Jan
- 29 mm
- Rain / yr
- 1229 mm
- 103 wet days
- Daylight
- 9.6–14.4 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 47 m
- 35.2°N
- Clearest
- Oct
- 45% cloud
Gwangju is metropolitan city in South Korea.
- Air quality
- Elevated
- PM2.5 18 µg/m³ · 2020
- Density
- 2,796/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1986
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Gwangju weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid April to mid June.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Gwangju, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.3 months, from May 20 to September 28, with daily high temperatures above 24°C. The hottest month of the year in Gwangju is August, with an average high of 30°C and low of 22°C.
The cool season lasts 2.9 months, from December 2 to February 28, with daily high temperatures below 10°C. The coldest month of the year in Gwangju is January, with an average low of -4°C and high of 5°C.
Days typically run about 10°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 13°C) in April.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 5 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 26 | 21 | 14 | 7 |
| Avg low (°C) | -4 | -2 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 22 | 22 | 17 | 9 | 3 | -2 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | -4 |
| Feb | 7 | -2 |
| Mar | 13 | 1 |
| Apr | 19 | 6 |
| May | 24 | 12 |
| Jun | 27 | 17 |
| Jul | 29 | 22 |
| Aug | 30 | 22 |
| Sep | 26 | 17 |
| Oct | 21 | 9 |
| Nov | 14 | 3 |
| Dec | 7 | -2 |
How hot and cold Gwangju really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Gwangju feels like about 35°C (around August 4). About 36 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in August.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -8°C (around January 23), with roughly 129 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 5 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 33 | 27 | 21 | 14 | 7 |
| Air high (°C) | 5 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 26 | 21 | 14 | 7 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -8 | -6 | -2 | 4 | 12 | 17 | 22 | 22 | 17 | 9 | 1 | -6 |
| Air low (°C) | -4 | -2 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 22 | 22 | 17 | 9 | 3 | -2 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | 5 | -8 | -4 |
| Feb | 7 | 7 | -6 | -2 |
| Mar | 13 | 13 | -2 | 1 |
| Apr | 19 | 19 | 4 | 6 |
| May | 24 | 24 | 12 | 12 |
| Jun | 28 | 27 | 17 | 17 |
| Jul | 32 | 29 | 22 | 22 |
| Aug | 33 | 30 | 22 | 22 |
| Sep | 27 | 26 | 17 | 17 |
| Oct | 21 | 21 | 9 | 9 |
| Nov | 14 | 14 | 1 | 3 |
| Dec | 7 | 7 | -6 | -2 |
Average hourly temperature in Gwangju
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on August afternoons, near 30°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -4°C.
Gwangju weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5° / -4° | 29 | 5.2 | 3.1 | 9.9 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 7° / -2° | 35 | 5.2 | 1.3 | 10.7 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 13° / 1° | 63 | 7.6 | 0.9 | 11.7 | 3.7 |
| Apr | 19° / 6° | 88 | 7.8 | 0 | 12.9 | 6.3 |
| May | 24° / 12° | 99 | 8.2 | 0 | 13.8 | 7.1 |
| Jun | 27° / 17° | 164 | 10.4 | 0 | 14.3 | 6.1 |
| Jul | 29° / 22° | 255 | 17.1 | 0 | 14.1 | 4.4 |
| Aug | 30° / 22° | 226 | 15.5 | 0 | 13.3 | 4.4 |
| Sep | 26° / 17° | 138 | 9.5 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.6 |
| Oct | 21° / 9° | 57 | 5 | 0 | 11.1 | 7.4 |
| Nov | 14° / 3° | 46 | 6.2 | 0.2 | 10.2 | 4.5 |
| Dec | 7° / -2° | 30 | 5.1 | 1.8 | 9.7 | 1.1 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Gwangju gets about 1229 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 3.4 months, from around Jun 9 to Sep 19, peaking in July at about 57% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Dec 21.
July is the wettest month by volume, with 255 mm over about 17 wet days; January is the driest, with 29 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 17 | 19 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 36 | 54 | 49 | 32 | 17 | 20 | 16 |
| Rain days | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 17 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | 5 |
| Feb | 19 | 5 |
| Mar | 24 | 8 |
| Apr | 26 | 8 |
| May | 27 | 8 |
| Jun | 36 | 10 |
| Jul | 54 | 17 |
| Aug | 49 | 16 |
| Sep | 32 | 10 |
| Oct | 17 | 5 |
| Nov | 20 | 6 |
| Dec | 16 | 5 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Gwangju collects about 1229 mm of rain across 103 wet days — roughly 102 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. July is the wettest month with 255 mm, while January is the driest at just 29 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 52% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 29 | 35 | 63 | 88 | 99 | 164 | 255 | 226 | 138 | 57 | 46 | 30 |
| Rain days | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 17 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Snow days | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 5 | 3 |
| Feb | 35 | 5 | 1 |
| Mar | 63 | 8 | 1 |
| Apr | 88 | 8 | 0 |
| May | 99 | 8 | 0 |
| Jun | 164 | 10 | 0 |
| Jul | 255 | 17 | 0 |
| Aug | 226 | 16 | 0 |
| Sep | 138 | 10 | 0 |
| Oct | 57 | 5 | 0 |
| Nov | 46 | 6 | 0 |
| Dec | 30 | 5 | 2 |
Snow in Gwangju
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Gwangju averages about 7 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 26 to Mar 23 — about 3.9 months.
January is snowiest, with roughly 3 days of snow and an estimated 9 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 23 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | 9 |
| Feb | 1 | 5 |
| Mar | 1 | 3 |
| Apr | 0 | 0 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 1 |
| Dec | 2 | 5 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Gwangju, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around September 12 and lasts for 3.7 months, ending around January 1. The clearest month is October, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 62% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around May 31 and lasts for 3.4 months, ending around September 11. The cloudiest month is July, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 73% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 42 | 47 | 53 | 53 | 47 | 32 | 27 | 38 | 47 | 62 | 59 | 51 |
| Cloudier (%) | 58 | 53 | 47 | 47 | 53 | 68 | 73 | 62 | 53 | 38 | 41 | 49 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 58 |
| Feb | 47 | 53 |
| Mar | 53 | 47 |
| Apr | 53 | 47 |
| May | 47 | 53 |
| Jun | 32 | 68 |
| Jul | 27 | 73 |
| Aug | 38 | 62 |
| Sep | 47 | 53 |
| Oct | 62 | 38 |
| Nov | 59 | 41 |
| Dec | 51 | 49 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 16, brings about 14 h 24 min of light; the shortest, around December 15, only 9 h 36 min — a swing of roughly 4 h 48 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.9 | 10.7 | 11.7 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.2 | 11.1 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:45 | 7:26 | 6:50 | 6:06 | 5:33 | 5:22 | 5:33 | 5:56 | 6:20 | 6:44 | 7:14 | 7:39 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:38 | 6:07 | 6:34 | 6:59 | 7:24 | 7:43 | 7:43 | 7:16 | 6:33 | 5:50 | 5:21 | 5:18 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.9 | 7:45 | 5:38 |
| Feb | 10.7 | 7:26 | 6:07 |
| Mar | 11.7 | 6:50 | 6:34 |
| Apr | 12.9 | 6:06 | 6:59 |
| May | 13.8 | 5:33 | 7:24 |
| Jun | 14.3 | 5:22 | 7:43 |
| Jul | 14.1 | 5:33 | 7:43 |
| Aug | 13.3 | 5:56 | 7:16 |
| Sep | 12.2 | 6:20 | 6:33 |
| Oct | 11.1 | 6:44 | 5:50 |
| Nov | 10.2 | 7:14 | 5:21 |
| Dec | 9.7 | 7:39 | 5:18 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Gwangju averages about 9 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 3 and 16 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 3.0 months, from around Sep 15 to Dec 15. The sunniest month is October, with roughly 14 sunny days (mixed).
The greyest month is July, down near 5 sunny days — about 68% fewer than the October peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 7 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 13 | 10 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 8 | Mixed |
| Mar | 12 | Mixed |
| Apr | 11 | Mixed |
| May | 11 | Mixed |
| Jun | 6 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 5 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 7 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 9 | Mixed |
| Oct | 15 | Mixed |
| Nov | 13 | Mixed |
| Dec | 10 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Gwangju, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 3.9 months, from around June 3 to September 28. The muggiest month is August, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 99% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 29 to June 2, and March is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 93 | 67 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 78 | 97 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 23 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 35 | 7 | 7 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 30 | 24 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Oppressive (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 51 | 52 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miserable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 93 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 67 | 23 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 12 | 24 | 35 | 21 | 9 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 1 | 7 | 30 | 51 | 11 |
| Aug | 0 | 1 | 7 | 24 | 52 | 16 |
| Sep | 16 | 21 | 27 | 23 | 12 | 1 |
| Oct | 78 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 97 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Gwangju is typically calm, near 9 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Nov 16 to May 17. The windiest month is February, averaging about 10 km/h (calm).
The calmer part of the year runs from around May 18 to Nov 15, with September the calmest month at about 7 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | calm |
| Feb | 10 | calm |
| Mar | 10 | calm |
| Apr | 9 | calm |
| May | 9 | calm |
| Jun | 8 | calm |
| Jul | 8 | calm |
| Aug | 8 | calm |
| Sep | 7 | calm |
| Oct | 8 | calm |
| Nov | 9 | calm |
| Dec | 9 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Gwangju
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Gwangju sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Gwangju's rainy season runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Gwangju
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Gwangju throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late April, Gwangju is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Gwangju for general outdoor tourist activities run from mid April to mid June and again from mid September to early November, with a peak score in the second week of October.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.0 | 1.1 | 3.7 | 6.3 | 7.1 | 6.2 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 6.6 | 7.3 | 4.5 | 1.1 |
| Rating | poor | poor | fair | good | good | good | fair | fair | good | good | fair | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 1.1 | poor |
| Mar | 3.7 | fair |
| Apr | 6.3 | good |
| May | 7.1 | good |
| Jun | 6.2 | good |
| Jul | 4.5 | fair |
| Aug | 4.4 | fair |
| Sep | 6.6 | good |
| Oct | 7.3 | good |
| Nov | 4.5 | fair |
| Dec | 1.1 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Gwangju for hot-weather activities is from mid May to mid October, with a peak score in the first week of June.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Gwangju, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around August (highs near 30°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 5°C), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.
In August, Gwangju sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 16 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Gwangju
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 55 km away) is warmest in August at about 25°C and coldest in February near 6°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 26 to Oct 11 — about 3.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 8 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 19 | 15 | 11 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Bracing |
| Feb | 6 | Bracing |
| Mar | 7 | Bracing |
| Apr | 10 | Bracing |
| May | 14 | Bracing |
| Jun | 19 | Cool |
| Jul | 23 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 25 | Warm |
| Sep | 23 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 19 | Cool |
| Nov | 15 | Cool |
| Dec | 11 | Bracing |
UV index (midday) in Gwangju by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gwangju peaks around July 12 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 7 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Average hourly UV index in Gwangju
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in September the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 7 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 4 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 2 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 8 | 7.5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 2 | 0 |
| Mar | 5.5 | 0 |
| Apr | 6.5 | 2.5 |
| May | 7.5 | 4 |
| Jun | 8 | 4.5 |
| Jul | 7.5 | 4 |
| Aug | 7 | 3.5 |
| Sep | 7 | 4 |
| Oct | 5 | 0 |
| Nov | 3 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Air quality in Gwangju by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Gwangju is worst in March — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (August, 13 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Gwangju's WHO annual average of 18 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 18 | 21 | 27 | 24 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | Moderate |
| Feb | 21 | Moderate |
| Mar | 27 | Moderate |
| Apr | 24 | Moderate |
| May | 20 | Moderate |
| Jun | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 13 | Moderate |
| Aug | 13 | Moderate |
| Sep | 15 | Moderate |
| Oct | 16 | Moderate |
| Nov | 17 | Moderate |
| Dec | 15 | Moderate |
Growing season
The growing season in Gwangju typically lasts about 267 days, from around March 9 to November 30 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 11 to November 6.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 12 | 22 | 61 | 93 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 76 | 26 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | 31 |
| Feb | 22 | 28 |
| Mar | 61 | 31 |
| Apr | 93 | 9 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 99 | 0 |
| Nov | 76 | 22 |
| Dec | 26 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Gwangju banks about 2,156 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 73 | 239 | 363 | 479 | 493 | 342 | 158 | 8 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 73 |
| May | 239 |
| Jun | 363 |
| Jul | 479 |
| Aug | 493 |
| Sep | 342 |
| Oct | 158 |
| Nov | 8 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Gwangju receives about 4.2 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.3 and 6.0 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.8 months, from around Mar 5 to Sep 27. The brightest month is May, averaging about 5.8 kWh/m² (bright).
The dimmest month is December, down near 2.4 kWh/m² — roughly 59% less than the May peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 2.6 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 5.4 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 2.8 | 2.3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.6 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3.5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4.6 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.5 | Bright |
| May | 5.8 | Bright |
| Jun | 5.4 | Bright |
| Jul | 4.6 | Bright |
| Aug | 4.6 | Bright |
| Sep | 4.3 | Bright |
| Oct | 3.9 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2.8 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2.3 | Moderate |
Where is Gwangju?
Gwangju sits at 35.2°N, 126.9°E, 47 m above sea level, in South Korea. The nearest listed city is Masan, 8.0 km away.
What Gwangju looks like
Topography around Gwangju
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Gwangju.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Gwangju has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 345 m around an average of 69 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,170 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,875 m.
The land around Gwangju is covered by artificial surfaces (78%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, trees (54%), cropland (21%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 16 km, and trees (52%), cropland (22%) and water (21%) within 80 km.
South Korea travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type C / F
- 220 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 57% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $36,227
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.0 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 99%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 0.5
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 8.6
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 522
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Gwangju (35.1547°, 126.9156°, elevation 47 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).