Winter Without Frozen Han River... Seoul Records Least Snowfall Since 1937
by Lee Hyeonjoo
Published 12 Feb.2020 14:44(KST)
On the 4th, which is Ipchun (the beginning of spring) according to the solar terms, a citizen in Namdaemun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, is hurrying along while shielding falling snow with an umbrella. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
View original image[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] This winter is expected to have the least snowfall on record.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on the 12th, the current snowfall amounts in major cities are Seoul 1.1 cm, Suwon 1.5 cm, Chuncheon 5.1 cm, Gangneung 4.7 cm, Daejeon 0.8 cm, Cheongju 0.3 cm, and Jeonju 0.6 cm.
Seoul recorded the least snowfall since 1937 (excluding 1949?1953), and other major cities experienced the least snowfall since 1973. However, Chuncheon had the second least snowfall following 4.2 cm in 2018, and Gangneung had the fifth least snowfall.
The number of days with snowfall accumulation of 0.1 cm or more was 2 days in Seoul, 3 days in Suwon, 7 days in Chuncheon, and 2 days in Gangneung, while Incheon, Gwangju, Daegu, Busan, Ulsan, and Jeju either had no accumulated snow or no snowfall at all. Jeju did not receive any snow for two consecutive years following 2018.
The reason for the low snowfall is that temperatures around South Korea remained high, causing rain to fall more frequently instead of snow. The Han River did not freeze either. The Korea Meteorological Administration analyzed that the Siberian region experienced temperatures more than 3 degrees Celsius above average, weakening the continental high pressure moving toward South Korea, and warm, humid air from the subtropical western Pacific periodically flowed in, blocking the southward movement of cold northern air.