The snow here seems to be more dry powder than wet packing snow. We had three significant storms from December 2009 - February 2010. They were each at least 6 inches (15.2 cm). The ground doesn't freeze in Yeonggwang so in all three cases the snow was 90% melted within three days. The roads were a mess but the buses kept running and schools never closed. As far as I remember the daytime temperature always got above freezing though with the wind of the ocean it didn't always feel like it. The coldest night I remember was about 14F (-10 C). The wind is pretty constant in the winter and sometimes rather strong so I'm sure the windchill was closer to 0F (-18C).
A picture from the first snowfall I saw in Korea in December 2009.
Spring here was cold and windy. We were consistently above 40F (4.5 C) in March and April so there was no risk of snow but the wind kept it feeling pretty cold. I think I was wearing my light gloves in late April, which again isn't normal. We actually had flurries on April 15th right around 5 PM in the afternoon. I was not in a good mood on that day. I was wearing my polar fleece zip-up at school until April 30th. Warm weather finally arrived on May 2nd. By warm I mean it was finally comfortable to leave all types of jackets at home and just wear a long-sleeve shirt.
May was comfortable. I would guess we were getting daytime highs in the upper 60s and lower 70s. The warmer summer weather -above 80F (27C) - came around June 1st. By mid-June it was getting a bit warmer and by July 1st it was time to run the aircon. One of the other teachers here told me that the first day of aircon is always June 18th but I held out a little longer.
The Korean summer is HOT, HUMID, and NASTY. I came here directly from Nashville, Tennessee so I am familiar with hot and hazy summer weather. Korea isn't worse but it's not better than what I saw in Nashville. The temperature doesn't go as high in Yeonggwang but the humidity is higher. Pretty much every day in July, August, and the first half of September was 90F (32C) with 75% - 85% humidity. I always carried my umbrella because there was a constant threat of rain. You start sweating as soon as you walk out the door. Hopefully your school will have aircon in the classroom AND allow you to use it.
A close-up of some rice taken in late September.
The summer weather broke on September 20, 2010. The only reason I know the date is that school was closed for the Chuseok holiday. We are now (Oct. 4th) enjoying the really good fall weather. We have daytime highs close to 75F (24C) and overnight temperatures around 55F (13C). I expect that will slide closer to 60F (15.5C) by day and 40F (4.5C) at night by the time I leave at the end of November.
I asked a teacher to read what I posted above. He has been here for three years. Here is what he added:
You're article's pretty accurate for last winter and this year, but the two years prior were definitely different. For example, winter of 2007 & 08 had its first snow on Nov. 27th, but this past winter was mild in Yeonggwang (even tho Seoul got hammered). Those past years saw lots of ice storms and the streets and sidewalks were trecherous. And, as you mentioned, lots of wind in winter but it was a lot worse the previous years (you could actually hear the ice on the streets "krinkle" when the strong winds blow just right---didn't happen last year). Even so, there were shockingly no "snow days" either of those years. The end of March (again around the 27th) usually begins Spring and the cherry trees start to bloom the first week of April and it's wonderful--right up to like you said--June 18ish. Besides that, I think you got the weather here pretty much covered accurately.
As a reminder, if you have questions about Yeonggwang and would like to contact me, please email me directly. My email address is jleonard518 AT gmail DOT com. You can also email Tony - vikton AT msn DOT com. Please put something like 'questions about Yeonggwang' in the subject line. Thanks, Jim.
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