Peninsula braces for cold, wet week

People use umbrellas as rain falls Monday morning at Seoul City Hall Station in Jung District, central Seoul. [YONHAP]

Winter rain is expected to soak the country throughout the week.

Showers will last until Tuesday and revisit the country Thursday before finally departing Friday, with Wednesday the only clear weekday.

However, temperatures will likely plummet on Wednesday, bringing a cold, wintry morning.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), Monday's rainfall will end on Tuesday morning in most regions.

However, coastal areas in Gangwon, South Jeolla, South Gyeongsang and Jeju Island will experience rainfall until Tuesday night.

Seoul expects to see up to 40 millimeters (1.57 inches) of rain through Tuesday.

South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang will experience 20 to 60 millimeters of rain. Coastal areas of Gangwon and North Gyeongsang are expected to see around 30 to 80 millimeters of rainfall.

Mountainous regions of Jeju Island may see over 120 millimeters of rain, while the island's lowlands will see between 20 and 70 millimeters.

Gangwon will also see snow through Tuesday with a heavy snow warning issued.

Mountainous regions in northern Gangwon are bracing for 10 centimeters (3.93 inches) to 30 centimeters of snow, while the province's interior regions will see five to 15 centimeters.

Lowland and coastal areas in northern Gangwon will see between one and three centimeters of snow.

“Mountainous regions in Gangwon will see a mixture of rain and snow. Coastal areas of Gangwon with relatively warmer temperatures will see rain, but places close to inland and mountain slopes may see snow,” the KMA official said.

Seoul’s daytime temperature will hover around nine (48.2 degrees Fahrenheit) to 10 degrees Celsius on Monday and Tuesday.

Tuesday’s morning low is expected to be five degrees Celsius at dawn, while the daytime's high is expected to reach 10 degrees Celsius.

Most of the nation will see morning lows between four to six and daily highs of around 10 degrees Celsius.

However, southern parts of the country will see warmer temperatures, with Gwangju staying over 10 degrees Celsius before dropping to seven at night and Busan staying over 10 degrees Celsius throughout the day.

On Wednesday, the morning low in Seoul will drop to one degree Celsius before climbing during the daytime to reach a high of 10 degrees Celsius.

Wednesday's morning lows in Incheon, Daejeon, North Jeolla and Daegu will be around one to three degrees Celsius. Inland and mountainous regions of Gangwon will experience a subzero morning on Wednesday.

In contrast, southern areas of the country will see relatively warmer temperatures on Wednesday, with morning lows hovering between seven to eight degrees Celsius.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]