[Weather] Strong Winds with Snow and Rain Tomorrow, Afternoon Temperature Drops Sharply... Commute Alert

On the 18th, citizens are walking in Taepyeong-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, while being covered by falling snow. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] On the 28th, the whole country will be mostly cloudy with snow or rain in most areas and strong winds blowing. From the afternoon, temperatures will drop sharply, causing congestion during the evening commute.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) forecasted on the 27th that during the day on the 28th, most areas nationwide (except the western inland of Gyeongnam until night) will experience gusts along with rain or snow. In the Chungcheong region, Jeolla region, and Jeju Island, snow will continue until midnight on the 28th, leading to significant snowfall in some places.

In the metropolitan area (excluding eastern Gyeonggi), inland Gyeongbuk (excluding northeastern mountains), western Gyeongnam, southern coast of Jeonnam, Chungnam region, Jeju Island (excluding mountainous areas), and the five western islands, 1 to 5 cm of snow or less than 5 mm of rain is expected. The eastern coast of Gangwon and the northern eastern coast of Gyeongbuk are forecasted to receive about 1 cm of snow or less than 5 mm of rain.

Because heavy snow will fall in a short time, visibility will be reduced, and as temperatures drop below freezing, snow will freeze and roads will become slippery, leading to expected traffic congestion during the evening commute, the KMA said.

Strong winds will blow nationwide from the daytime of the 28th through the 29th. On coastal areas, Jeju Island, islands, and mountainous regions, winds will blow at 45 to 65 km/h (12 to 18 m/s), with maximum gusts exceeding 90 km/h (25 m/s).

In other areas, winds will blow at 25 to 50 km/h (7 to 14 m/s), with maximum gusts reaching 70 km/h (20 m/s) or more, raising the possibility of strong wind warnings being issued.

During the same period, winds at sea will be very strong at 35 to 70 km/h (10 to 20 m/s), and waves will be very high at 2.0 to 6.0 meters. In the distant East Sea, waves are forecasted to exceed 8.0 meters, and in offshore areas near Daehwatoe and other open seas adjacent to the East Sea, waves are expected to reach over 10 meters, creating very high waves.

The morning and daytime temperatures on the 28th will be between -5 to 3 degrees Celsius and 1 to 11 degrees Celsius, respectively, similar to the day before (morning temperature -6 to 4 degrees, daytime temperature 5 to 13 degrees), but temperatures will drop sharply from the afternoon of the 28th.

The lowest morning temperature on the 29th is expected to drop about 10 degrees lower than on the 28th, ranging from -18 to -2 degrees Celsius, and the highest daytime temperature will be between -6 and 3 degrees Celsius. On the 29th, northern Gyeonggi and Yeongseo in Gangwon are expected to experience temperatures below -15 degrees, and other central regions, northern inland Gyeongbuk, and eastern inland Jeonbuk will see temperatures below -10 degrees, raising the possibility of cold wave warnings being issued. Due to strong winds, the wind chill temperature is expected to be even lower.