S. Korea to see warm, wet winter due to powerful El Nino

SEOUL, Nov. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is expected to experience a warmer and wetter winter this year due to the influence of a climate phenomenon known as El Nino, the national weather agency said Friday.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said an El Nino -- a naturally recurring phenomenon of warming of waters in parts of the tropical Pacific Ocean -- has been forming since May and is expected to peak in December.

The latest phenomenon is forecast to develop into the strongest on record and bring warm, humid air into South Korea this winter, it said, citing record sea surface temperatures of the El Nino monitoring zone.

The moving average sea surface temperature for August to October measured 2.4 C above the long-term average, marking the highest for the period since records began in 1950, according to the KMA.

Due to the influence of El Nino, South Korea's average temperatures in November, December and January are projected to be higher than the long-term averages, with more rainfall than usual in the first two months, it said.

Lee Mi-seon, head of the KMA, said in a release the public should still be prepared for possible cold spells as other climate factors also affect winter weather.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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