By Ian Werther in News — 14 Mar 2026

South Korea braces for spring temperature swings, dust and rain next week

The weekend weather in South Korea will feature notable temperature swings: inland areas start the day below freezing, but by afternoon most places will see highs above 10 C, with southern regions reaching around 15 C. After sunset, temperatures are expected to fall again.

Air quality will be favorable today, rated from normal to good. Tomorrow, however, incoming fine dust from outside the country is forecast to push air-quality levels lower, with the central-western regions likely to be uncomfortable all day and other areas seeing rising concentrations in the afternoon.

This illustration shows one possible scenario for the hot, rocky exoplanet called 55 Cancri e, which is nearly two times as wide as Earth. New data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope show that the planet has extreme temperature swings from one side to the other-- and a possible reason for this might be the presence of lava pools.
This planet is tidally locked to its star, just as our moon is to Earth, which means that one side always sizzles under the heat of its star while the other side remains in the dark. If the planet were covered in lava, then the hot, sun-facing side of the planet would have liquid lava flows, while the colder, dark side would see solidified lava rock. The hardened lava would be unable to transport heat across the planet, explaining why Spitzer detected that the cold side of the planet is much colder than the hot side.
Such a lava planet, if it exists, would have dust streaming off of it, as illustrated here. Radiation and winds from the nearby star would blow off the material.
Scientists say that future observations with NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope should provide more details about the nature of this exotic world.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Spacecraft operations are based at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Littleton, Colorado. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive housed at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Seoul is forecast to reach about 12 C, while Busan could climb to around 14 C. Meanwhile, the sea conditions around Jeju Island and the East Sea could produce waves up to about 2.5 meters, affecting coastal and offshore activities.

Overall, spring-like conditions are expected to persist in the near term, with mild daytime warmth returning after any cool spells. The weather pattern suggests more frequent day-to-night temperature contrasts as the season transitions.

Next Wednesday, rain is forecast for Chungcheong, the southern regions, and Jeju, signaling a shift in the week’s pattern. Travel plans and outdoor activities should account for possible wet conditions in these areas.

A brush for the lead: New York "Flyers" on the snow. 1 print : lithograph. — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Why this matters for U.S. readers: South Korea is a major hub for electronics and automotive components, and weather disruptions in the region can influence manufacturing schedules, port operations, and shipping through Asia-Pacific supply chains that feed into U.S. markets. Air-quality shifts and winter-to-spring transitions also affect regional health advisories and travel planning for business and tourism.

Context for non-Korean readers: Seoul is the capital and Korea’s political and economic center; Busan is the country’s largest port city; Jeju is a popular island destination. Chungcheong refers to the central provinces, and the East Sea is the Korean name for the body of water east of the peninsula. The forecast is from KBS News, with meteorologist Park Seo-jeong and graphics by Choi Hyun-seo.

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