Snow will subside but temperatures will be freezing

Social Affairs

Published: 15 Dec. 2022, 18:04 Updated: 15 Dec. 2022, 18:11

Snow will subside but temperatures will be freezing

Tourists in hanbok walk in a snowy Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul on Thursday. [NEWS1]

Korea’s central regions including Seoul saw heavy snowfall Thursday coupled with subzero temperatures.

Some areas saw 2 to 3 centimeters (0.78 to 1.2 inches) of snowfall per hour during the day, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

Between midnight and 5 p.m. Thursday, it snowed a total of 4.5 centimeters in Seoul, 9.8 centimeters in Osan, Gyeonggi, and 7.0 centimeters in Suwon, Gyeonggi.

Heavy snow advisories, issued to regions where snowfall is expected to be more than 5 centimeters in the next 24 hours, were lifted for Seoul, Incheon and most of Gyeonggi at 5 p.m. Thursday, though the national weather forecaster added that snow was expected to continue in the central region through midnight.

Heavy snow advisories remained in place for southern areas of Gyeonggi, central Gangwon, northern Chungcheong and northern Gyeongsang.

The snowfall, coupled with freezing temperatures created hazardous road conditions on Thursday.

A snow truck fallen sideways at a crossroad in Cheorwon County, Gagnwon, on Thursday. [YONHAP]

A snow truck tipped over after trying to make a turn at a crossroads in Cheorwon County, Gangwon, at around 12:39 p.m. on Thursday, according to the Gagnwon Fire Department.

The driver, a man in his 50s, sustained minor injuries.

Around 10:30 a.m., an accident involving five vehicles took place on an interchange on the Jungang Expressway, close to an exit in Hoeseong County, Gangwon.

People in all five vehicles sustained minor injuries, but only two were hospitalized, according to the fire department.

As of 3 p.m. Thursday, a total of 56 cases of accidents on the road involving a vehicle or a pedestrian were reported to fire departments nationwide.

“Expect icy roads wherever there is snow or rain today, and please be especially careful when driving or walking,” the KMA said Thursday.

The lowest temperature recorded in Seoul on Thursday morning was minus 8.5 degrees Celsius (16.7 degrees Fahrenheit). Cheorwon county in Gangwon recorded negative 13.8 degrees Celsius.

The cold spell was expected to continue for the next few days, with early morning temperatures expected to be around minus 10 degrees Celsius in the central region including Seoul and Gyeonggi and minus 15 degrees Celsius in Gangwon, according to the national weather forecaster.

A man clearing the snow in front of a youth center in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Thursday afternoon. [YONHAP]

Cold wave advisories were issued in Gyeonggi, Gangwon, North Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang as of Thursday afternoon.

They are issued when the lowest temperature the following morning is expected to drop by more than 10 degrees Celsius compared to the day before, or when it’s expected to hit minus 12 degrees Celsius or below, or when serious damage is expected due to the rapid temperature drop.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]