March is getting hotter due to climate change. March this year was the ninth consecuti

Hadong Maeil Street in Cheonggye Stream, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, where plum blossoms are in full bloom on the 23rd of last month [Reporter Lee Seung-hwan]

March is getting hotter due to climate change. March this year was the ninth consecutive year when the temperature was higher than usual.Although precipitation increased due to two heavy rains last month, the risk of fire increased as dry weather continued.

According to the "March Climate Characteristics" released by the Korea Meteorological Administration on the 3rd, the average temperature last month was 7.4 degrees, 1.3 degrees higher than the average year (6.1 degrees), marking the ninth warmest March since 1973 weather observation nationwide. The average annual value is based on the 1991-2020 average and is updated every 10 years.

Climate change in the North Atlantic Ocean and near the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia affected the background of high temperatures last month. The blocking phenomenon near the Kamchatka Peninsula, which used to bring cold northerly winds to the Korean Peninsula, has been resolved since the middle of last month, and the influence of the North Atlantic atmosphere has become stronger. As a result, the high-pressure cycle surrounding the Korean Peninsula has been strengthened, and warm air has been introduced. Since late last month, clear days have continued due to the influence of mobile high pressure, and hot sunlight has added to cause abnormal high temperatures in most parts of the country.

March is the month when the temperature rise trend is most pronounced. According to the monthly average temperature change trend from 1973 to last year, March rose 0.52 degrees every decade to rank first. It far exceeded the second place, February and September (0.39 degrees each).

As of 15 o'clock on the 2nd, the flowering date for each type of spring flower in major observation cities [Korea Meteorological Administration]

In line with the hot weather, spring flowers, including cherry blossoms, also bloom earlier than usual and tend to fall asleep earlier. Cherry blossoms in Seoul were on the 29th of last month, 15 days earlier than usual. Maehwa, forsythia, and azalea were also 15, 4, and 5 days earlier than the average year. In particular, cherry blossoms bloom earlier than usual in most regions except Jeju, accelerating the steps of cherry blossom visitors.

The precipitation increased due to two heavy rains. Last month's national precipitation was 66.0 mm, about 20% higher than the average year (56.5 mm). The number of precipitation days was 7.6 days, slightly less than the average year (7.9 days), but it rained a lot nationwide on the 2nd and 30th to 31st of last month, increasing monthly precipitation.

However, the atmosphere was still dry. In particular, the dry trend continued from the end of last month, with 0.7mm of precipitation and 0.2 days of precipitation across the country from the 21st to the 29th of last month, the second-lowest in history during the same period. As a result, the relative humidity remained low on days when it did not rain, increasing the risk of fire.

Lee Mi-sun, head of the Korea Meteorological Administration, said, "The temperature increase trend due to climate change continued in March this year, followed by a high-temperature dry trend in late March. As the risk of forest fires is high in spring, the Korea Meteorological Administration will do its best to strengthen the proactive response to abnormal climate by closely monitoring the climate status."

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