Is Spring Still a Way Off?

By Bae Ji-sook

Staff Reporter

People say April is when spring fully blossoms, but this year, Koreans are seeing unusually cold weather, the coldest in 23 years for April, according to the state weather agency.

Seoulites on Wednesday were seen shivering under coats, hats and masks on their way to work. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the mercury fell to 1.2 degrees Celsius, the lowest among temperatures recorded at this time since April 14, 1987, when it marked 1.1 degrees.

The cold spell was apparent in other parts of the country: Baengnyeong Island saw the temperature drop to 3 degrees, the mountainous region of Daegwallyeong, minus 4 and Taebaek in Gangwon Province marked minus 3.5. Strong winds have struck farms and greenhouses in regional areas.

On Tuesday afternoon, citizens were even able to see snow fall in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.

KMA spokesman Kim Seung-bae said this April was particularly cold, taking into account the "global warming" effect that has been lingering on the peninsula for years. From April 1 to 13, the average temperature marked 8.8 degrees, compared to the annual average of 10.2.

"This winter was quite cold. The 'arctic oscillation', a cold atmosphere from the North Pole, scattered throughout the northern hemisphere and Korea was accordingly exposed. We assume that the freezing weather will continue a bit longer since the upper atmosphere is quite unstable," he said.

Will we be able to see a warm or hot summer? Kim laughed. "A more precise forecast is due May 23," he said.