[Weather] Beware of Icy Roads and Black Ice on the Commute... Heavy Snow Mainly in the Seoul Metropolitan Area from Early Morning

Heavy Snow Expected from Afternoon to Night
4.8cm New Snowfall in Sinjeokseol, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon
1.8cm Snowfall in Seoul Before Commute

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Since early dawn on the 21st, heavy snow has been falling mainly in the Seoul metropolitan area. Until the afternoon of the day, heavy snow along with gusts, thunder, and lightning are expected to continue in the Seoul metropolitan area, inland Gangwon, Gangwon mountain areas, northern Chungbuk, northern inland Gyeongbuk, and Jeju mountain areas.

As of 6 a.m. on the day, snow is falling at a rate of 2-3 cm per hour in Incheon, northern Gyeonggi, and northern inland Gangwon, and about 1 cm per hour in other parts of the Seoul metropolitan area and northern Chungbuk.

A heavy snow advisory has been issued for the Seoul metropolitan area except for some parts of southern Gyeonggi, inland and mountain areas of Gangwon, northern Chungbuk, northern inland Gyeongbuk, and Jeju mountain areas. Precipitation is expected to mostly stop between late afternoon and evening in most regions. Snow or rain is expected to continue until late at night in inland and mountain areas of Gangwon, Chungbuk, eastern Jeonbuk, western inland Gyeongsang, and Jeju mountain areas.

Before the full-scale morning commute began, a lot of snow had already accumulated in various places. As of 6 a.m., the newly accumulated snow (new snowfall) amounts are 4.8 cm in Ganghwa-gun (Gyodong), Incheon; 2.6 cm in Paju-si (Jeokseong-myeon), Gyeonggi-do; 2.0 cm in Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do; 1.8 cm in Seoul; 3.4 cm and 1.8 cm in Pyeongchang-gun (Myeonon-ri) and Cheorwon-gun (Dongsong-eup), Gangwon-do; and 8.0 cm and 3.9 cm in Mungyeong-si (Dongro-myeon) and Sangju-si, Gyeongbuk.

In the forecast announced at 5 a.m., the Korea Meteorological Administration predicted additional snowfall amounts of 5-10 cm in northern and eastern Gyeonggi, inland and mountain areas of Gangwon, and Jeju mountain areas; 2-8 cm in Seoul, Incheon, southwestern Gyeonggi, central and northern Chungbuk, and northern inland Gyeongbuk; and 1-3 cm in Chungcheong (excluding central and northern parts), eastern Jeonbuk, inland eastern Jeonnam, central inland Gyeongbuk, southern inland Gyeongbuk, western inland Gyeongnam, and the five western islands. Especially in northern Gyeonggi and inland and mountain areas of Gangwon, places with heavy snowfall are expected to accumulate more than 15 cm of snow.

Since the fallen snow will freeze, many roads will become icy, so caution is necessary. In particular, in the inland areas of Chungcheong and southern inland areas, rain or snow freezing on the ground may cause thin ice on the roads, so special attention is required.

The wind will also gradually strengthen from the afternoon. From night in the mountain areas of Gangwon and northeastern mountain areas of Gyeongbuk, and from the 22nd on the west coast, east coast, and Jeju, strong winds with gusts exceeding 70 km/h (90 km/h in mountain areas) are expected. Other coastal and inland areas will also experience strong winds with gusts around 55 km/h.

The morning temperature on the day will range from minus 6 degrees to plus 5 degrees Celsius, and the highest daytime temperature will be between 2 and 10 degrees Celsius, similar to the average temperature for this time of year. From the 22nd, cold air will descend from the north, causing temperatures to drop sharply again, with the cold wave expected to peak on the 23rd. Due to the continuous cold wave and heavy snow, significant damage may occur, so preparations are necessary.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.