Cold wave to strengthen over weekend
Foreign tourists heavily armed with thick winter coats walk in a street in Myeongdong, central Seoul, Jan. 25. Yonhap
The ongoing cold wave is expected to intensify over the weekend, with morning temperatures falling to minus 15 degrees Celsius to minus 5 C in most areas of the country, the state weather agency said Friday.
The cold wave warning currently issued for the Seoul metropolitan area, inland Gangwon Province and South Chungcheong Province is expected to be expanded to the rest of the central region and parts of the southern region, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.
Moreover, strong winds are expected to continue throughout the weekend, with the instantaneous wind speed of around 55 kph forecast in most regions until Saturday, the agency noted. In particular, the instantaneous wind speed is expected to exceed 70 kph in western coastal areas until Friday night.
On Friday, the morning low dropped to minus 11.5 C in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, and minus 10.6 C in the capital's southern Dongjak district. The wind chill caused the sensible temperatures to plummet to minus 14 C in Seoul.
Typically, the air is clear when the cold wave sets in. But the current air quality will be an exception due to yellow dust, the agency said. The concentration of fine dust particles is expected to remain high in the capital area, Chungcheong provinces, Jeolla provinces and Jeju on Friday.