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In Ulleung-do, an island located in the East Sea (or Sea of Japan), about 130 km (80 mi) east of the Korean coast, the climate is
temperate humid, with cold, damp winters and warm, sultry summers. There is no dry season.
The island has no airport, so it can only be reached by ferry.
In
winter, cold winds coming from the Asian continent pick up moisture when passing over the sea, so the island is subject to frequent falls of rain and snow. There can be very cold periods, with highs around freezing (0 °C or 32 °F) and lows dropping to -6/-8 °C (18/21 °F), but also relatively mild periods, with highs around 10/12 °C (50/54 °F), more likely in December. The coldest record is -13.6 °C (7.5 °F) and was set in February 1981.
Wind and humidity exacerbate the feeling of cold.
In the interior of the island, there is a small mountain, Seonginbong, 984 meters (3,228 feet) high, where snowfalls in winter are even more copious.
In
summer, there are periods of good weather, hot and muggy, with highs around 30/32 °C (86/90 °F), though tempered by the breeze, but also periods of bad weather, with wind and rain. Sometimes, especially in June and in the first half of July, temperatures can be bit cool. The highest record is 35.4 °C (95.7 °F) and was set in August 2013.
Here are the average
temperatures. The weather station is at 220 meters (720 feet), so we can expect a temperature roughly 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 °F) higher on the coast.
Ulleungdo - Average temperatures (1991-2020) | Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | 0 | 5 | 2.2 | 31 | 40 | 36 |
|---|
| February | 0 | 6 | 2.9 | 32 | 42 | 37.3 |
|---|
| March | 3 | 10 | 6.4 | 38 | 50 | 43.6 |
|---|
| April | 8 | 15 | 11.5 | 46 | 59 | 52.7 |
|---|
| May | 13 | 20 | 16.2 | 55 | 67 | 61.1 |
|---|
| June | 16 | 22 | 19.5 | 62 | 72 | 67.1 |
|---|
| July | 20 | 26 | 23 | 69 | 78 | 73.5 |
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| August | 22 | 27 | 24.4 | 71 | 80 | 75.8 |
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| September | 18 | 23 | 20.5 | 64 | 74 | 69 |
|---|
| October | 13 | 19 | 16 | 55 | 66 | 60.7 |
|---|
| November | 8 | 13 | 10.4 | 46 | 56 | 50.8 |
|---|
| December | 2 | 7 | 4.8 | 36 | 45 | 40.6 |
|---|
| Year | 10.3 | 16.1 | 13.2 | 50.5 | 61.1 | 55.5 |
|---|
is fairly abundant, in fact, it reaches 1,400 millimeters (55 inches) per year. The wettest period is from July to September because of the summer monsoon, but winter is the season in which precipitation is more frequent. Here is the average precipitation.
Ulleungdo - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 115 | 4.5 | 19 |
|---|
| February | 80 | 3.1 | 15 |
|---|
| March | 70 | 2.8 | 12 |
|---|
| April | 80 | 3.1 | 8 |
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| May | 105 | 4.1 | 9 |
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| June | 115 | 4.5 | 9 |
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| July | 170 | 6.7 | 12 |
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| August | 170 | 6.7 | 12 |
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| September | 170 | 6.7 | 10 |
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| October | 85 | 3.3 | 9 |
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| November | 105 | 4.1 | 12 |
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| December | 115 | 4.5 | 17 |
|---|
| Year | 1385 | 54.5 | 143 |
|---|
The amount of
sunshine in Ulleung-do is scarce in winter, when the skies are usually cloudy; in the other seasons, it is not very good, however, the sun shines half the time during the months of April, May and October, while in summer, the amount of sunshine decreases again because of the summer monsoon. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Ulleungdo - Sunshine hours| Month | Average | Total |
|---|
January | 3 | 90 | February | 3.5 | 105 | March | 5.5 | 165 | April | 7 | 210 | May | 7.5 | 225 | June | 6 | 175 | July | 5 | 150 | August | 5.5 | 165 | September | 5.5 | 160 | October | 5.5 | 175 | November | 4.5 | 130 | December | 3 | 100 | Year | 5.1 | 1855 |
The
sea in Ulleung-do becomes warm enough for swimming in August, while it is a bit cool in July and September. Here are the average sea temperatures.
Ulleungdo - Sea temperature| Month | Celsius (°C) | Fahrenheit (°F) |
|---|
January | 11.5 | 53 | February | 9.5 | 49 | March | 9.5 | 49 | April | 12.5 | 54 | May | 15.5 | 60 | June | 19.5 | 67 | July | 22.5 | 72 | August | 24 | 76 | September | 22 | 72 | October | 19.5 | 67 | November | 16.5 | 61 | December | 12.5 | 54 | Year | 16.3 | 61.3 |
About 90 km (55 mi) east-southeast of the island, and visible from the east coast or from the highlands of the interior, we find
Dokdo (aka Liancourt Rocks or
Takeshima in Japanese). They are small islands, and have a similar climate, just slightly milder and less rainy: the average annual precipitation is around 1,250 mm (49 in).
2016.
From July to early October (and occasionally also in the second half of June), Ulleung-do can be affected by
typhoons, the tropical cyclones of Southeast Asia, which bring strong winds and heavy rains.
Best Time
The best times to visit Ulleung Island are spring and autumn, and in particular from early May to mid-June and from mid-October to mid-November. In April it can still be cold. In summer it is generally not too hot, moreover, temperatures are milder on the hills, but the rains are abundant and typhoons can pass.