Apparent temperatures in Seoul fall to minus 21.7 C
People head to work at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on the coldest day of the season with the mercury dropping to an intraday low of minus 14 degrees Celsius in the Korean capital, Jan. 23. Yonhap
Morning temperatures in Seoul fell to minus 14 degrees Celsius, with apparent temperatures of minus 21.7 degrees, on Tuesday as the latest cold wave continued to grip Korea, grounding more than hundreds of flights countrywide.
The cold wave that struck the country the previous day is expected to further freeze the nation, keeping daytime temperatures below the freezing point in most regions, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
Temperatures in Seoul plunged to minus 13.9 degrees, with apparent temperatures of as low as minus 21.7 degrees, while surrounding cities Incheon and Suwon saw temperatures reach minus 13.1 degrees and minus 12.8 degrees, the KMA said.
The mercury also dipped to minus 13.4 degrees in the eastern city of Chuncheon as of 5 a.m. and minus 9.8 degrees in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung, while the central city of Daejeon recorded minus 12.2 degrees.
Rocks are covered in ice along the Han River in Seoul on the coldest day of the season, Jan. 23. Yonhap
The highs are forecast to range from minus 9 degrees to 1 degrees nationwide.
A cold wave warning was in place in northern and eastern parts of Gyeonggi and most parts of Gangwon Province while Seoul and the wider capital region were under a cold wave watch.
Regions in South Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces and Jeju Island are predicted to see snowfall continue through Wednesday, with the amount of snowfall likely to reach up to 20 centimeters in parts of North Jeolla and up to 50 centimeters in some mountainous areas of Jeju by the following day.
Beginning in the evening, western coastal areas in southern parts of Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul and parts of South and North Gyeongsang Provinces may also experience mild snowfall, the weather agency said.
Buildings vent steam generated from heating in Seoul on the coldest day of the season, Jan. 23. Yonhap
Heavy snow had grounded hundreds of flights across the nation, including more than 400 out of the 453 domestic and international flights to and from Jeju scheduled for Tuesday, according to government officials.
The previous day, 35 flights were canceled while 200 others were delayed on the southern resort island due to the heavy snowfall.
A total of 93 ferries on 71 water routes were also grounded, and authorities received 58 reports of frozen water meters from across the country.
The cold snap, combined with heavy snow, also forced two alpine skiing competitions to begin 30 minutes later than scheduled at the Winter Youth Olympics taking place in Gangwon. (Yonhap)