Officials of the Seoul Museum of History clear away snow in central Seoul on Dec. 20, 2023. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The nation is bracing for an arctic cold wave later this week, with morning lows plummeting to between minus 19 C and minus 5 C across the country, the state weather agency said Wednesday.
The season’s strongest cold wave is forecast to peak on Thursday and Friday, when the minimum temperatures will drop to minus 15 C in Seoul, minus 18 C in the northeastern city of Chuncheon, minus 13 C in the central city of Daejeon and minus 6 C in the southern city of Busan, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
Daily highs will range from minus 10 C to 2 C during the two days, it said.
The agency said strong winds with instantaneous speeds of over 55 kph, or 15 mps, are expected to reinforce the feeling of cold in most regions. It noted the arctic cold wave will be caused by the influx of high-latitude cold air under the influence of a pressure ridge formed in the Ural Mountains.
Meanwhile, the western coastal areas and the southern resort island of Jeju will be hit by heavy snow of up to 30 cm until Thursday night, as very cold air will keep flowing into the Yellow Sea amid the expansion of the continental high pressure, the KMA said. The snow will continue in the western parts of the southwestern provinces of Jeolla and Jeju until Friday night, it added.
(Yonhap)
