[Opinion] Subtropical Weather

Journalist W.G. Benham once said, “Talking about the weather is foolish. Because even when it rains over a mountain, the sun shines in the valley.” To no one’s surprise, he is from Britain, which is well known for its capricious weather. However, these days, describing weather conditions in Korea often requires phrases such as “torrential rains.” Even when the sky is clear, rain, thunder, and lightning are only minutes away, and then the sun shines all over again as if nothing happened.

These days, the weather is really fickle in Korea. Since August, not has one day passed without rain in the middle part of the nation. For 10 days from July 30 to August 8, the average daily precipitation was 16.2 millimeters, about two times higher than the 8.7 millimeters recorded during the monsoon season, which lasted 39 days this year. The rainfall in August has been more than 120 millimeters so far. Don’t be fooled by the bright morning sun: pack an umbrella and wear short pants.

With such fickle weather, some are pointing out that the Korean Peninsula may now be in the subtropical climate zone, where places like Hong Kong, which is at 22 degrees north latitude, are generally categorized in. Their arguments are not groundless. For 30 years, from 1977 to 2006, the average annual precipitation has increased by 200 millimeters, and average temperature has risen 0.7 degrees. In particular, the winter has gotten markedly warmer, with annual winter temperatures from December to February for the past 30 years increasing by 1.4 degrees. Tropical nights were witnessed less than five days annually in the 1910s, but the figure increased to 25 days in the 2000s.

Abnormal weather is not isolated on the Korean Peninsula. In the U.S., torrential rains at dawn stopped the subways in New York on August 8. Although unusual weather takes different forms such as sweltering heat, heavy rains, and drought, it is said that such weather is related to global warming. Experts say that as water and air temperatures rise due to global warming, water vapor is being generated in abundance, which is in turn changing the planet’s weather and climate. Some say the current weather conditions are just an exception, rather than a shift to a subtropical climate. However, as global warming continues at this alarming pace, it might be hard to see snow in the future even in Seoul, which is at 37 degrees north latitude.

Chung Seong-hee, Editorial Writer, shchung@donga.com