Monsoon Until Late July and Extreme Heat in August? Can You Trust Weather Forecasts on Social Media?

[Anchor]

"The monsoon season will continue until the end of July," or "Extreme heat exceeding 40°C (104°F) is coming in August." These are weather forecasts that are easily found on social media these days.

Can we trust this information circulating on social media? Reporter Lee Gyeong-won takes a closer look.

[Reporter]

A weather-related YouTube video from last year predicted that Typhoon Nakri would strike the Korean Peninsula.

[Weather YouTube Video: The entire Korean Peninsula will face an unprecedented all-out offensive from nature.]

However, this typhoon did not even pass through the Korean Peninsula.

[SBS News, October 9, 2025: Typhoon Nakri has formed, but it is turning toward Japan again this time....]

Such false weather information becomes even more rampant during the monsoon season, when interest in the weather is high.

We verified weather information circulating on social media.

There were many card-style news posts claiming things like "It will rain for five consecutive weeks until the end of July" or predicting specific start and end dates for the monsoon season by region.

When we asked the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), they replied that there is no place in the world that provides specific daily precipitation forecasts for a period longer than 12 days.

None of these claims are true.

The KMA even left comments directly on the posts stating that the information was incorrect.

Once the monsoon season ends, the sweltering heat begins.

There are forecasts claiming that extreme heat exceeding 40°C (104°F) will arrive in August.

Some even provided plausible-sounding figures, such as a 70% probability that it will be hotter than average years.

[Weather YouTube Video: According to the KMA forecast, there is a 70% chance that temperatures this summer will be higher than average.]

However, the KMA stated in its official outlook two months ago that the probability of the average temperature in August being higher than average is 50%.

In particular, the agency stated that it has never released any forecast data predicting temperatures well over 40°C (104°F) in August.

Again, this is not true.

In many cases, advertisements for dehumidifiers or automotive products are displayed alongside these weather forecasts.

It is often the case that these posts are intended to lead to product sales.

Under current law, anyone wishing to provide weather forecasts online must register as a weather forecasting business with the KMA.

Violating this rule can result in a fine of up to 1 million won.

Reported by Seol Min-hwan | Video by Lee So-young | Graphics by Jo Su-in
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.