Commuter chaos expected as snow blankets the greater Seoul area

Commuters walk near Hyehwa Station in central Seoul as heavy snow falls in the area on Tuesday morning. [YONHAP]

Heavy snow is expected to continue pounding the peninsula on Tuesday afternoon, causing commuter chaos in the evening.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issued heavy snow advisories in the greater Seoul area, including Incheon and Gyeonggi, and parts of Gangwon on Tuesday morning.

This is the second time the advisory was issued in the capital this year.

Heavy snow advisories are issued when over 5 centimeters (1.9 inches) of snow are anticipated to accumulate over 24 hours. The KMA explained that it issued the advisories in advance, expecting much snow to accumulate due to a low-pressure air mass.

The rest of the country will feel the influence of snow clouds.

Around 3 to 8 centimeters of snow are anticipated in the greater Seoul area, with heavily affected areas expecting over 10 centimeters of snow through Wednesday. Parts of Gangwon may experience over 20 centimeters of snow during the same period. Inland regions of Gangwon and Gyeonggi will see 5 to 10 centimeters of snow, which may pile up to over 15 centimeters in areas heavily affected by the snow.

Snowfall in the greater Seoul area is expected to stop Tuesday night. However, parts of Gyeonggi, Gangwon and Jeolla will see snow through Wednesday morning, and Chungcheong, Gyeongsang and Jeju through Wednesday afternoon.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]