wooopsss!!! planning a holiday?!! auww... its holiday! i lioke.. heheheh.. ntah bila ntah yang ada masanya.. well, they talk about KOREA, south korea its seems.. ehhehe.. so, just wanna share a bit info regarding Korea's four season.. time to visit KOREAku friends!!
Seasons:
Up until very recently whenever you asked a Korean to name a
distinctive characteristic of their country, one of the answers would
invariably be that Korea has four distinct seasons. Not very significant
if you come from the northern parts of North America, but significant
if you look at the weather in other Asian countries.
Korea’s four seasons
have been truly distinctive, in that they each last about three months –
a pattern that has been changing somewhat over the past decade or so.
Winter (~December to ~end February*
) is
generally cold and dry, very dry. Although there used to be a lot of
snow, that’s not the case these days. When it does snow, the white
blanket melts either right away or in a few days. One must watch for ice
patches however. The temperature can dip lower than 19°C but
fortunately cold weather lasts for only about three days and is followed
by four days of warmer weather. This cycle is the norm in winter and
it, along with sunshiny days and bright blue skies makes the Korean
winter more tolerable. The distinctive Korean
ondol heating
system is another winter plus. A series of pipes lie beneath the floor
and hot water (in older homes, hot air) runs through the pipes making
the floor pleasantly warm. Homes, however, are very dry and you will
need humidifiers over the winter. Mandarin oranges from Jeju Island are
available in winter.
Spring (~March thru May*)
usually
announces its arrival with bright yellow forsythia flowers (kanari)
along streets and highways. The season often starts out cool and maybe
wet, but gradually the weather warms up and other spring flowers begin
making their appearance, including magnolia and cherry blossoms. The
various species of trees sprout leaves of various shades of green and
reds. We also know that spring is here when we see the new
crop of strawberries, while the appearance of Korea’s small yellow
melons tells us summer is on the way. The one drawback to spring in
Korea is a gift from China and Mongolia,
yellow dust.
The winds carry sand from the Gobi desert over industrial zones and
urban areas, picking up pollutants along the way and delivering them as
far away as the west coast of the U.S. Korea is on the route.
Summer (June thru August*) is one
of the proofs that Korea is a land of extremes in that it is as hot and
humid and the Korean winter is cold and dry. Summer is relatively hot
and humid with monsoon rains beginning near the end of June and lasting
until mid to late July. Occasionally, between the announcement of the
beginning and the end of monsoon season, there is no rain. And then the
rains come. Typhoons around Japan can also bring heavy to Korea in
August. Summer temperatures can go over 38°C with an average of 20°C
between June and September. Cold watermelon, sweet juicy peaches and
cold noodles offer some consolation to the muggy weather, which
generally ends by September, when the evenings turn refreshingly cool.
Autumn (September to November*) is
probably the best time of year in Korea. The weather is cooler and
dryer, but still pleasantly warm and sunny. As the season progresses,
the leaves change colors and harvesting begins. Fall is the time of
Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving. At this time of year, you’ll find crisp,
sweet apples in the market along with the unique Korean pear (known in
North America as the Asian pear), huge purple grapes and the fragrance
of roasting chestnuts and gingko nuts on the streets. One of the most
important autumn events is Kimjang – the time for making kimchi.
Families get together still to prepare this unique fermented dish
according to their traditional family recipes. Fall kimchi is considered
by many Koreans to be the best kimchi of the year. Fall is also a
wonderful to go out of Seoul and explore Korea. The weather is great and
the countryside is beautiful.
*There is so set date for the beginning and end of any season -
and weather, in Korea as elsewhere in the world, has not been adhering
to expected patterns of late. That said, Korea has 4 season, more or
less divided into about 3 months each.
