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TravelOct 19, 2026

When does it snow in Korea? Official first-snow normals (Seoul 20 November) and how early it has come

Seoul's official first snow normally falls on 20 November, but last winter it came on 4 December, and Busan waited until 7 February. Every city's first-snow date from Korea's weather agency, where snow shows first, and this winter's outlook.

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Seoul's official first-snow date is 20 November. That's the 30-year average, not a forecast — and here's how early it has actually come. ❄️ • Six winters, 30 days apart: Seoul's first snow fell on 10 Nov 2021 at the earliest and 10 Dec 2020 at the latest. Last winter it came on 4 Dec 2025, 14 days late. • The record: 23 October 1981 (earliest) and 31 December 1948 (latest). • "First snow" is a few flakes or sleet seen at one station, Songwol-dong in Jongno. Nothing has to settle. • See it first on the mountains: Seoraksan's summit area had its first snow on 20 Oct 2025. • Busan's normal is 23 Dec. Last winter its first flakes came on 7 Feb 2026, and it logged 0.0 cm all season. Normals: Seoul & Daejeon 20 Nov · Gwangju 29 Nov · Daegu 5 Dec · Jeju City 10 Dec · Busan 23 Dec. Save this for a winter trip 📌 → epickor.com Source: Korea Meteorological Administration (1991–2020 climate normals, 2025–26 winter reports). Photos (dated on each card, none from 2026): Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service (Jeon Han and others), Sohyeon Bak, Wonho E — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA. #KoreaWinter #SeoulSnow #FirstSnow #KoreaTravel #SeoulTravel #SeoulInNovember #SeoulInDecember #Seoraksan #첫눈 #서울첫눈 #한국겨울여행 #epickor

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Gyeonghoeru pavilion at Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul, during a snowfall on 5 December 2012 — snow on the roof and on the frozen pond, flakes in the air (Korea.net)

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Snow on the tiled roofs and courtyard of Changdeokgung Palace, Seoul, on 22 December 2014, office buildings behind (Korea.net)

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Light snow on red maple leaves in Jongno-gu, Seoul, 18 November 2013, from Korea.net's "First Snowfall in Seoul" set (Jeon Han)

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A hillside path in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on 18 November 2013 with a thin white dusting of snow between fallen red and orange leaves, a walker ahead (Korea.net "First Snowfall in Seoul")

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Seoraksan's granite ridges streaked with snow under a blue sky, an orange railing on a viewpoint path in the foreground, 1 March 2013

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A wide street in Busan on a snow day (uploaded February 2011) — slush on the road, snow on the pavements and shop awnings, hills behind

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Visitors in the snow at Changdeokgung Palace, Seoul, on 20 January 2017, a small pavilion and bare trees behind (Korea.net)

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SEOUL WEATHER TIP · 서울 첫눈

SEOUL'S FIRST SNOW: NOV 20.

That's the average — here's how early it has come.

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