Heavy snow, rain sweep South Korea, with more wintry weather forecast
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In places where snowfall was not observed, rain was recorded instead.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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SEOUL – South Korea was hit by heavy rain and snow from the night of March 2 to 3, causing travel disruptions and safety concerns, with more snow and rain forecast nationwide starting the morning of March 4.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heavy snow was observed overnight in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province and the Chungcheong provinces.
Heavy snowfall on March 3 resulted in several accidents nationwide, though no injuries or deaths have been reported as at 11am. Four reports were made to officials regarding stranded vehicles, where 10 were rescued. Eleven traffic accidents were also reported and 51 additional safety reports were made to officials regarding accumulated snow.
As at 11am, 53 ferry services have been cancelled and 10 flights remain grounded. Thirteen national parks remain closed to the public, while cars from have not been allowed to use 13 roads to prevent further safety incidents.
Much of Gangwon Province saw accumulated snowfall of 10cm to 30cm, while the eastern parts of Gyeongggi Province, North Chungcheong Province and northern parts of North Gyeongsang Province saw 5cm to 15cm of accumulated snow.
Mountainous regions in Gangwon Province were hit the heaviest, as some regions reported up to 49.6cm of accumulated snow as at 6am on March 3. Some mountainous regions in North Gyeongsang Province also saw heavy snow, with Uljin-gun and Mungyeong receiving 24cm and 15.6cm, respectively.
Where snowfall was not observed, rain was recorded instead, with Seoul experiencing 22mm of rain, while Hwaseong in Gyeonggi Province and Chungju in North Chungcheong Province saw around 35mm of rain. In the mountainous regions of Jeju Island, up to 82mm of accumulated rainfall was recorded as at 6am on March 3.
As at 11am on March 3, heavy snow advisories for the central parts of South Korea were lifted in most regions, excluding North Gyeongsang Province and Ulsan, which saw 1cm of hourly snowfall as at press time. A heavy snow advisory is issued when snowfall is expected to reach above 5cm within 24 hours to brace people for possible accidents and disruptions.
However, according to the KMA, rain clouds are expected to form and move toward the Korean peninsula again from f March 4 morning.
“As cold air moves towards the Korean peninsula and the low-pressure system approaches from the south, rain clouds are expected to form, leading to nationwide rain,” KMA official Woo Jin-kyu told a press briefing held on March 3.
Mr Woo added that heavy rainfall or snowfall can be expected in the central and southern parts of South Korea, with mountainous regions in Gangwon Province, North Gyeongsang Province and Jeju Island expecting to see accumulated rainfall of up to 40mm on March 4. Cities such as Gwangju, Daegu, Busan and Ulsan may see up to 30mm of accumulated rainfall, while southern parts of Gyeonggi Province as well as Incheon and Seoul can expect to see accumulated rainfall ranging between 5mm to 10mm.
Depending on temperature conditions, rain clouds also have a chance of turning into snow clouds, as mountainous regions in Gangwon Province can expect to see up to 10cm to 30cm of accumulated snow, while Seoul and Incheon can expect to see up to 5cm of accumulated snowfall.
The precipitation is expected to stop as the low-pressure system moves towards Kyushu, Japan on March 4 night. However, as cold air is brought into the mountainous parts of Gangwon Province by north-easterly winds, heavily hit regions can expect to see as much as 100cm of snow until March 5.
Though South Korea recorded warmer than average temperatures in recent days, the KMA added that a sharp drop in temperatures can also be expected from March 4, as cold air moves into the peninsula from the north.
On March 4, morning lows are expected to range between minus 4 deg C and 4 deg C, while daytime temperatures are expected to range between 2 deg C and 9 deg C. Cold temperatures are expected to continue throughout the week, with winds of 55kmh to 70kmh dropping wind chill temperatures significantly compared with actual temperatures. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
