4 inches of snow arrive at Jeju's Mount Halla

A heavy snowfall of more than 10 centimeters arrived at Jeju's Mount Halla on Monday. [NEWS1]

With the cold air sweeping across the country, Monday morning was recorded to be the coldest this fall, bringing a snowfall of 10.7 centimeters (4.21 inches) at Mount Halla in Jeju.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) reported that the lowest daily temperature at Witse Oreum of Mount Halla was minus 5.4 degrees Celsius (22.28 degrees Fahrenheit). A heavy snow warning was issued at dawn and early in the morning. The snow warning was lifted around 9 a.m. A strong wind warning followed but ended as of 10 a.m.

The KMA said that atmospheric pressure accompanying cold air, which glided southward, formed subzero air in the mountainous regions of Jeju Island, leading to snowfall.

“Roads may become slippery in the mountainous region and walking trails on Mount Halla because of freezing rain and snow. Please be careful while driving or climbing the Mount Halla,” a KMA official said.

The lowland areas of Jeju Island experienced rain because of the rain cloud caused by the air-sea temperature difference.

The cities of Jeju and Seogwipo also had the coldest morning, with lows of 7.1 and 6.6 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Including Seoul, other inland regions underwent the wintriest morning.

As of 6 a.m., the daily lowest of northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon were recorded between minus 9 degrees Celsius and minus 7 degrees Celsius. Seoul and Daejeon experienced minus 1.8 degrees Celsius and minus 2.3 degrees Celsius, respectively. The lowest of Gwangju and Daegu were at 1.6 degrees Celsius, and Busan was at 2.4 degrees Celsius.

In the daytime, the greater Seoul area’s highest temperature will be around 6 to 8 degrees Celsius. The highest of Daejeon, Daegu, Gwangju and Busan will surpass 10 degrees Celsius.

BY KIM KYUNG-ROK, LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]