Spring came in haste, with this winter ending earlier than expected. Spring flowers are expected to bloom three to five days earlier than usual this year, as temperatures have not been high since January following the cold snap in December last year. But in spring, the unwelcome yellow dust blows up as well. In addition, yellow dust is expected to get worse this spring than usual.
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According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) on Sunday, this spring began on February 23 as of Seoul. If the average temperature of one day for nine days remains above 5 degrees Celsius and does not fall again, the first day of the nine days will be defined as the beginning of spring. The average daily temperature in Seoul was 6.7 degrees Celsius on Feb 23, but the average daily temperature lasted more than 5 degrees for nine days until March 3, setting it as the start of spring. On the same basis, the beginning of last spring was March 6. Spring is 11 days earlier than last year.
The reason why spring is especially early this year is because the cold wind from the high pressure of Siberia to the Korean Peninsula has decreased. “With the weakening of jet airflow in the Northern Hemisphere, much of the east-west winds on the Korean Peninsula have been created, and winds from the north to the south have been relatively blocked,” the Korea Meteorological Administration said.
As a result, it is expected that the date of blooming this spring will be about four days earlier than usual. Forsythia and azaleas are most affected by temperatures in February and March. According to a private weather company, Kweather, forsythia begins to bloom on Jeju Island around the 11th, about five days earlier than average. The southern part of the country will have its first flowers from the 12th to the 23rd and the central part from the 22nd to the 31st.
It is expected that azaleas will start in southern coastal regions of South Gyeongsang Province, including Jeju Island and Busan, from May 15 to May 22 to 27, and the central region from April 24 to April 2. In Seoul, forsythias are expected to bloom on the 24th and azaleas on the 26th.
Usually, the peak period of spring flowers is about a week after the flowering. Therefore, Jeju Island is expected to be on the 18th of this month, the 19th to 30th in the southern region, and the 29th to the 7th in the central region.