Farewell mild autumn, hello freezing temperatures

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Farewell mild autumn, hello freezing temperatures

A person wearing a thick coat walks in downtown Seoul on Tuesday as the country's temperatures started to drop. [NEWS1]

A person wearing a thick coat walks in downtown Seoul on Tuesday as the country's temperatures started to drop. [NEWS1]

 
After an exceptionally balmy November, Korea will face a sharp drop in temperatures on Wednesday with the first cold wave warning issued this season.
 
“Morning temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday will drop by 15 to 20 degrees Celsius compared to Tuesday,” the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.
 
“With strong winds, the wind chill will be very low at around minus 15 degrees,” the weather agency said.
 
According to the KMA, the nation’s temperatures began to drop Tuesday morning as a cold continental anticyclone approached from the northwest after a low-pressure trough that sprayed rain all over the country from the previous day moved to the east.
 
The temperature is expected to drop below zero from Tuesday evening coupled up with wind growing stronger. Temperatures in many parts of the country will fall below minus 10 degrees Celsius Wednesday morning.
 
In Seoul, the morning low is forecast to fall to minus 7 degrees Wednesday morning, which with the wind chill factor will feel like minus 13 degrees. This is more than 20 degrees Celsius lower than Tuesday morning's 7.4 degrees Celsius low, with the wind chill factor. 
 
The temperature in Daegwallyeong in the northern province of Gangwon is expected to drop to minus 12 degrees, which will feel like minus 23 degrees with the wind chill factor.
 
A cold wave alert was issued across the country except for Jeju Island and a few parts of the inland region.
 
A cold wave warning is issued when the morning low dives 15 degrees or more from the previous day to below 3 degrees.
 
The sharp drop in temperatures comes after a change in the direction of the wind flowing onto the Korean Peninsula.
 
Until Tuesday morning, the temperature of the entire peninsula remained over 0 degrees Celsius thanks to the warm south wind, but the low-pressure trough, which brought warm air, retreated to the east, and cold high pressure from the northwest is gradually expanding toward the Korean Peninsula.
 
“With the wind direction changing from north to south, the cold air trapped in the north is flowing into the Korean peninsula,” said Park Joong-hwan, a KMA official. “As a result, cold air in the upper atmosphere between minus 30 degrees and 35 degrees Celsius is coming down.”
 
There is also a forecast of snow.
 
From Wednesday to Thursday, one to five centimeters of snow is expected in western parts of North Jeolla and Jeju Island, and seven centimeters or more in mountainous parts. Snow of one to three centimeters is expected on the west coast, the central and northern inland of South Chungcheong and in the western part of South Jeolla.

BY CHUN KWON-PIL, SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]
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