Mercury is dropping across nation on Wednesday
![Tourists dressed in hanbok take a selfie with the Gyeongbok Palace in the background in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Tuesday. While snow fell throughout the country, from Seoul to Gangwon and even in North Gyeongsang, levels of fine dust were very high. Temperatures are expected to drop on Wednesday. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2022/12/13/3105c4c0-6cad-45a3-83cc-33f2b1dd7be1.jpg)
Tourists dressed in hanbok take a selfie with the Gyeongbok Palace in the background in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Tuesday. While snow fell throughout the country, from Seoul to Gangwon and even in North Gyeongsang, levels of fine dust were very high. Temperatures are expected to drop on Wednesday. [YONHAP]
After yellow dust blanketed the Korean peninsula on Tuesday, heavy snowfall is expected in central inland regions followed by temperatures plunging on Wednesday.
Southern areas of Gyeonggi and Gangwon as well as North Chungcheong could get more than ten centimeters of snow, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) forecast.
An estimated five centimeters of snow is forecast in Chungcheong, North Jeolla and the islands of Ulleungdo and Dokdo.
A heavy snow alert was issued across the central region, including southern areas of Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, North Jeolla, and the southern inland region of Gangwon on Tuesday. Such an alert is issued when five centimeters or more of snow is expected over 24 hours.
As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, the city of Chungju in North Chungcheong saw ten centimeters of snow. Gangwon’s Taebaek City saw 4.7 centimeters, and North Chungcheong’s Jecheon City four centimeters. Gyeonggi’s Yongin City saw 3.8 centimeters.
Cold air has been moving southward from the northwest since late Tuesday afternoon.
Wednesday's morning low will be five to 15 degrees Celsius lower than Tuesday morning's.
A cold wave alert was issued for the inland regions and northern provinces of Jeolla and Gyeongsang, to go into effect from 9 p.m. Tuesday. A cold wave warning is issued when the morning low dives 15 degrees or more from the previous day to below 3 degrees.
The temperature is expected to drop between minus 15 to minus 1 degrees Celsius across the nation Wednesday morning.
The daytime high on Wednesday will remain between minus 6 to 4 degrees Celsius. In the inland regions, the temperature will be below zero even during the day.
The wind chill factor will bring Seoul's temperatures to around minus 15 degrees on Wednesday.
The yellow dust that covered the country Tuesday will fade from the western part from early Wednesday morning as the cold northwester pushes it away.
The concentration of fine dust will remain high in the southern regions and on Jeju on Wednesday.
Air quality was a concern on Tuesday, with the first fine dust alert issued. It is unusual for the country to see heavy yellow dust in December.
Yellow dust advisories were upgraded from "attention" to "caution," the second highest level in the environmental ministry's four-notch warning system, in Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi and Gangwon as of early Tuesday afternoon, according to the Ministry of Environment.
All other remaining regions, except for South Gyeongsang, were under the lowest yellow dust advisories.
The yellow dust originating in the Gobi Desert and the Inner Mongolian Plateau advanced southeast on Sunday and flowed onto the Korean Peninsula from Monday evening.
The heavy level of yellow dust is believed to be due to an increase in the frequency of sandstorms as the average annual temperature in Mongolia and northern China have risen due to climate change, according to the National Institute of Environmental Research.
BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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