Heavy snow advisory issued for Seoul, surrounding areas

Cars drive slowly on a road in Seoul on Thursday morning due to heavy snow. [YONHAP]

A heavy snow advisory was issued Thursday in the greater Seoul area and some central parts of the country, the state weather agency said.

The advisory went into effect in Seoul's southwest and northwest regions, Incheon, parts of Gyeonggi and the coastal region of South Chungcheong, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

The snowfall was heaviest overnight and into early Thursday, impacting the morning commute, the KMA said.

The KMA advised citizens to use public transportation and leave for work earlier than usual to avoid heavy traffic congestion.

Between 2 and 7 centimeters (0.78 and 2.75 inches) of snow is expected until Friday and more than 10 centimeters in mountainous regions on the southern island of Jeju, the KMA said.

Eastern parts of Gyeonggi and inland areas of Gangwon are forecast to receive 1 to 5 centimeters of snowfall, the agency said.

Temperatures in most parts of the country were expected to rise to between minus 2 degrees Celsius (28.4 degrees Fahrenheit) and 6 degrees Celsius, the KMA said.

Yonhap