Spring Flowers Bloom, Then the Strongest Cold Wave? ... The Cause of 'Unpredictable' Weather

"Sudden Cold Snap? Just a Return to Average Winter Weather"
Arctic Cold Wave Expected to Continue Until the 24th... Cold Air Moving South

Unlike the warm weather that continued in early to mid-December compared to the average, an extreme cold wave is now sweeping across the country. The rapid temperature change is attributed to El Ni?o and the resulting climate change.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on the 18th, most regions nationwide, except for the southern areas, experienced very cold morning temperatures around minus 10 degrees Celsius. The wind chill makes it feel even colder than the actual temperature. The lowest temperatures in major areas were ▲Seoul minus 12.2 degrees ▲Incheon minus 11.4 degrees ▲Daejeon minus 10.2 degrees ▲Gwangju minus 6.7 degrees ▲Daegu minus 6.6 degrees ▲Busan minus 5.4 degrees. The lowest temperatures in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, and Paju, Gyeonggi Province, were minus 17.0 degrees and minus 14.9 degrees, respectively.

This contrasts with the spring-like weather in early to mid-December when daytime temperatures exceeded 20 degrees Celsius. On the 7th, the daytime high temperature surpassed 15 degrees in most parts of the country. Compared to the average daytime high temperature (3 to 11 degrees), it was about 5 to 10 degrees higher. In some areas such as Changwon, Gyeongnam, and Busan, spring flowers like forsythia and cherry blossoms were even spotted blooming.

Temperatures are expected to temporarily rise from the daytime of the 19th until the morning of the 20th, then drop sharply again. As cold air from high latitudes moves southward directly into Korea, the 'Arctic cold wave' is expected to dominate until the 24th.

On the 18th, as the severe cold wave continues day after day, office workers heavily dressed in thick clothes and scarves are hurrying to work at Gwanghwamun Intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The Korea Meteorological Administration forecasted that the bitter cold below freezing will persist throughout this week. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Seungbae Kim, head of the Korea Natural Disaster Association, explained that the warm weather in early to mid-December was an abnormal warm winter caused by the El Ni?o phenomenon, and that the current Arctic cold wave represents normal temperatures. Due to the El Ni?o phenomenon, where sea surface temperatures in certain parts of the Pacific Ocean warm, warm southwesterly winds flowed into the Korean Peninsula, resulting in warmer-than-average weather.

On the 18th, Kim appeared on YTN's 'News Live' and said, "The unusually warm weather in early December was exceptional, and now that temperatures have dropped to minus 12 degrees, the cold feels more intense because our bodies are not yet adapted. The arrival of this cold is natural. Rather, it was an abnormal warm winter, and now temperatures have returned to normal levels."

He also pointed to El Ni?o and the resulting 'climate change' as causes of the rapid temperature changes. He said, "On a large scale, the Earth is warming due to greenhouse gases, which causes complex abnormal weather patterns. Locally, the El Ni?o phenomenon is affecting the weather in Korea and East Asia." He added, "As the season moves into winter, temperatures gradually drop, but such a rapid change is unusual. This is not only happening in Korea but also in Europe. Germany experienced a cold wave along with about 40 cm of heavy snowfall, and Spain is currently experiencing abnormal warm weather."

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