By Ian Werther in News — 14 Mar 2026

Korea Weekend Forecast: Freezing Mornings, 15°C Swings, Rough Seas Near Ports

A photo from the morning of the 11th shows canola blooms in Eongdeungmul Valley in Saekdal-dong, Seogwipo, Jeju Island. The new weekend weather outlook for South Korea calls for clouds across most regions on Saturday, with chilly mornings and milder afternoons and a notable temperature swing of as much as 15 degrees Celsius.

Inland areas could see morning temperatures drop to 0°C or below, with frost possible in parts of Chungcheong inland and the southern inland regions. Daytime highs are forecast to range from about 10°C to 15°C depending on location. Across major cities, the forecasted highs are roughly 12°C in Seoul, Suwon and Ulsan; 10°C in Incheon; 13°C in Gangneung, Sejong, Busan and Jeju; 14°C in Daejeon; and 15°C in Gwangju and Daegu.

A peninsula that typically sees one typhoon per year might face three landfalling storms in two weeks. One week after Typhoon Bavi brought fierce winds and rain to North and South Korea, Typhoon Maysak plowed into South Korea as a Category 2 storm.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of Maysak in the late morning on September 2, 2020. At the time, the storm had sustained winds of roughly 190 kilometers (120 miles) per hour.
Shortly before landfall, in the early hours of September 3 local time, the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported sustained winds of 170 kilometers (105 miles) per hour as the eye of the storm was southwest of Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city and the world’s fifth-largest port. It is believed to be just the sixth typhoon of Category 2 strength or higher to hit the Korean Peninsula since 1951.
Maysak reached typhoon strength on August 29 and intensified to become the strongest typhoon so far in the 2020 Western Pacific season. At peak intensity on September 1, Maysak’s winds measured 230 kilometers (145 miles) per hour, a Category 4 storm. The typhoon battered Okinawa, the Ryukyu Islands, and Jeju Island before moving ashore on the Korean Peninsula. Forecasters called for widespread rainfall of 100 to 200 millimeters (4 to 8 inches). That rain will fall upon ground that has been soaked by South Korea’s second-wettest monsoon season on record and by rains from Typhoon Bevi.
The JTWC published its last advisory on Typhoon Maysak on September 2 at 1800 UTC (2:00 p.m. EDT or September 3, 3:00 a.m. Korean Standard Time). At that time the center of Maysak was located inland and about 27.6 miles (44.4 km) north-northwest of Busan. It was carrying maximum sustained winds of about 86 mph (138.4 km/h). The system was undergoing extra-tropical transition and was forecast to weaken rapidly. The system will pass over North Korea and Manchuria while the JTWC closely monitors for any signs of regeneration.

The storm troubles may not be over for North and South Korea. Another typhoon, Haishen, has been developing south of Japan, and several potential storm tracks have it making landfall on the Korean Peninsula on September 6 or 7. As of the evening of September 2, Haishen had sustained winds of 130 kilometers (80 miles) per hour, with predictions that it could strengthen to category 4 strength while moving over the extremely warm water of the tropical Western Pacific. — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

On Sunday the 15th, mornings are again expected to dip below freezing, with daytime highs between 10°C and 15°C. Temperatures are projected to stay close to seasonal norms in the coming days, with the usual cool nights and mild daytime warmth.

Looking at regional weather, the 14th is expected to be mostly cloudy in the central regions, with the southern regions seeing periods of cloudiness. Jeju Island is forecast to be generally clear. In the inland, fog may reduce visibility to under 1 kilometer in places during the morning, especially near rivers, lakes and valleys.

Sea conditions will be noteworthy for mariners. Winds of 30 to 60 kilometers per hour are forecast over the southern East Sea, the eastern part of the South Sea, and the southeastern inner waters near Jeju Island, with strong swells along the East Coast and Jeju coastal areas. Mariners and coastal facilities may need to monitor conditions for any disruption or safety considerations.

Poster for the prèmiere of Claude Debussy and Maurice Maeterlinck's Pelléas et Mélisande at the Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique on 30 April 1902. Phototype by Berthaud at 31, Rue Bellefond, Paris. 0.860 x 0.620 m.[1] — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Air quality is expected to be favorable, with fine dust levels rated as good to moderate across the country.

Why this matters to U.S. readers: South Korea is a major hub for electronics manufacturing and global supply chains, including semiconductors and consumer devices. Strong winds and swells can affect shipping traffic through key ports like Busan and Ulsan, potentially influencing schedules for goods moving to North America and Europe. Frost in inland areas may impact agricultural production and energy demand, while chilly mornings and variable daily temperatures can shape travel plans and business operations in the region. Finally, Jeju’s tourism economy could be affected by shoulder-season weather, influencing travel and hospitality markets that include U.S. travelers and tour operators with Korea-linked itineraries.

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