By Lee Hyo-sik
A cold spell, created by a strong high pressure system over Siberia, continues to grip the entire nation, sending the Seoul’s mercury to the lowest point in 10 years, Sunday.
The cold spell is expected to exert its influence over the Korean Peninsula for the time being, the weather agency said, advising citizens to bundle up when going outside, and to take extra precautions to prevent fire and other safety hazards.
The temperature fell to as low as minus 17.8 degrees Celsius in Seoul Sunday morning, the lowest since Jan. 15, 2001 when the mercury dipped to minus 18.6 degrees Celsius, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. Strong winds brought the temperature even lower to minus 23 degrees Celsius in parts of the nation’s capital.
The southern port city of Busan also recorded a chilling minus 12.8 degrees Celsius, the lowest in 96 years since 1915.
The morning low dipped to minus 24 degrees Celsius in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, the lowest in the nation, with the rest of the country recording around minus 15 degrees Celsius. The day’s high reached only around minus 10 degrees Celsius across the country.
“The entire nation is under the influence of a continental high pressure system. Seoul’s temperature at 6 a.m. Sunday recorded minus 17.8 degrees Celsius, the lowest in more than 10 years. A cold advisory has been issued for most parts of the country, except for Jeju Island,” a KMA spokesman said.
He then advised citizens to attend to their health and pay extra attention to their houses to prevent weather-related damage.
The weather was clear and sunny for most parts of the country Sunday. But Ulleung Island and the Dokdo islets in the East Sea and the mountainous areas of Jeju received up to 20 centimeters of snowfall, with coastal areas to the West Sea, North and South Jeolla Provinces seeing 5 centimeters of snowfall.
“More snow is forecast for the southern Provinces on the west coast Monday. The cold snap will continue to sweep Korea Monday but temperatures will rise slightly Tuesday. The mercury will remain lower than average all week long and morning lows in Seoul are expected to hover around minus 10 degrees Celsius,” the spokesman said.
Waves in waters surrounding the peninsula are expected to remain high at up to four meters Monday.
