[Weather] Snow and Rain Nationwide from Late Afternoon on the 6th... Ending from Early Dawn on the 7th

On the 21st, when a heavy snow warning was issued for Seoul and the central region, white snow piled up thickly on tree branches within an apartment complex in Seoul./Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] From late afternoon on Friday the 6th until the morning of the 7th, snow and rain are expected nationwide.

This snow and rain will fall as a low-pressure system supported by an upper atmospheric trough approaching from Mongolia passes north of Korea along with its accompanying cloud band.

Accordingly, precipitation will begin in the western regions late afternoon on the 6th and is expected to expand to most areas nationwide during the evening and night.

Snow and rain are also expected to cease from the west between early morning and morning on the 7th. However, due to topographical effects, precipitation will continue until daytime on the 7th in the inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon.

The peak precipitation period is expected to be nighttime on the 6th for the Seoul metropolitan area and from night on the 6th to early morning on the 7th for Yeongseo in Gangwon. Since snow and rain will fall during the busy Friday evening commute and weekend morning, caution is advised to prevent accidents.

The relatively warmer West Coast and Jeju are expected to see sleet.

The inland areas, where temperatures are relatively lower, are expected to receive significant snowfall. Especially in the inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon, snowfall amounts will exceed 10 cm in places.

Expected snowfall amounts by region are 3?8 cm for eastern Gyeonggi, inland and mountainous Gangwon, northern Chungbuk, and northern inland Gyeongbuk; 1?5 cm for eastern Seoul, northwestern Gyeonggi, central and southern Chungbuk, eastern Jeonbuk, and mountainous Jeju; and around 1 cm for western Seoul, Incheon, southwestern Gyeonggi, southern inland Gyeongbuk, northern coastal Gangwon, inland Chungnam, eastern inland Jeonnam, and western inland Gyeongnam.

The cloud band bringing this snow and rain is supported by relatively warm and humid southwesterly winds, resulting in considerable variation in thickness and other characteristics across different areas rather than uniformity.

Therefore, snowfall amounts will vary significantly between regions; for example, in Seoul, eastern areas are expected to receive 1?5 cm of snow, while western areas will remain around 1 cm.

Surface temperature is also a variable. Currently, the surface wet-bulb temperature is located at the boundary between snow and rain, so even slight changes in temperature can greatly affect precipitation type and snowfall amounts, explained the Korea Meteorological Administration.

The KMA forecasted that cold air from the north will not strongly descend for the time being, so temperatures will remain above average and the country will generally be clear.

However, around the 13th, a low-pressure system developing in central and southern China is expected to approach Korea, bringing rain mainly to the southern regions and Jeju.