Average temperatures in 2009 were slightly higher than in previous years.

The Korea Meteorological Administration said Tuesday that the average temperature last year was 13-point-one degrees Celsius, seven-tenths of a degree higher than the average posted over the past 30 years.

In 2009, the nation averaged two-point-four days with more than 30 millimeters of rain, higher than the one-point-six day average of the preceding 30 years.

The weather agency said global warming is causing a shift in climate, slowly raising average temperatures in Korea and gradually increasing the amount of rainfall.

Overall, 2009 was the fifth warmest year the nation has had since 1973.