Gwangju in Spring
In spring (March, April and May), Gwangju sees average daytime highs around 18°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 251 mm of precipitation over about 24 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 10°C in early March to 26°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Gwangju's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Gwangju's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 18°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 6°C
- Precipitation
- 251 mm
- 24 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.7
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Gwangju in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 10°C in early March to 26°C by late May.
A typical spring day in Gwangju reaches about 18°C and drops to 6°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.
How spring really feels in Gwangju
Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 27 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in spring is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Gwangju weather by month
How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| 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 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Gwangju gets around 251 mm of rain and snow over 24 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 9 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min in early March to 14 h 12 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Gwangju
In spring, Gwangju overlaps its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
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.
Is spring a good time to visit Gwangju?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a reasonable time to visit Gwangju for sightseeing.
What to pack for Gwangju in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Gwangju sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 6°C. Worth packing: light clothes, a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 24 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Gwangju in Spring
The nearest coast averages about 10°C across spring — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
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 in Gwangju in Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
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 |
Air quality in Gwangju in Spring
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring falls, not just the annual 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 |
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.
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.