Autumn Colors Start to Appear

It seems autumn has finally arrived in Korea as temperatures have started to fluctuate markedly and trees have started to change their colors.

Morning lows hovered between 10 and 19 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, while daytime highs are expected to range between 21 and 26 degrees, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

The autumn foliage first appeared on Mt. Seorak on Sept. 30, a day later than last year and two days later than average.

The KMA usually announces the start of the autumn foliage season when around 20 percent of the mountain is covered with autumn leaves, and the season peaks some 20 days later.

The Korea Forest Service expects the autumn foliage to reach its peak on Mt. Seorak on Oct. 23 this year.

As global warming pushes up average temperatures, the start of the fall foliage season has been pushed back by 0.33 day each year since 2009.

Although temperatures have dropped in the country, waters surrounding the Korean Peninsula remain higher than average. If El Niño intensifies toward the end of the year, more hot air will move in over southern parts of the country, leading to higher-than-usual temperatures and causing autumn colors to appear later than usual there.