"Are Koreans Tempering Themselves?" Sudden Drop in Temperature, Why?

Cold Wave Advisory, Nationwide Subzero Temperatures
Fluctuating Temperature Differences Caused by Cold Continental High Pressure

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] On the morning of the 16th, a cold wave advisory was issued mainly for the Seoul metropolitan area, and there is a joke about the sudden drop in temperature compared to Jeonju being called 'Korean tempering.' It is a complaint that the temperature fluctuates like tempering, which involves heating metal such as a knife to a high temperature and then cooling it by dipping it in cold water or oil.

From the morning of this day, except for Jeju Island, the entire country recorded subzero temperatures, and very cold weather is expected to continue throughout the week. A cold wave advisory was issued for the Seoul metropolitan area, eastern Gyeonggi Province, and Gangwon Province on this day.

Compared to last week when daytime temperatures in the Seoul metropolitan area rose by more than 10 degrees, creating warm weather reminiscent of spring for several days, this is a sudden temperature difference. On the 11th, in some areas such as Ulsan, spring flowers like plum blossoms were also observed blooming.

The fluctuating temperature difference is caused by a cold continental high pressure system. Last week, a high-pressure ridge covered the upper atmosphere with warm air over the Korean Peninsula, preventing the cold continental high pressure from expanding toward Korea. In addition, the solar heating effect caused by sunlight warming the ground raised the temperature. However, from the night before, cold air expanded southward from northern China, causing the morning temperature to drop by up to 10 degrees compared to the previous day.

On the 16th, when a cold wave hit with the lowest morning temperature in Seoul dropping to minus 8 degrees, citizens hurried on their way to work on the streets of Gwanghwamun, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Accordingly, the morning temperature on this day is expected to drop sharply by about 5 to 10 degrees, making it very cold. As of 7 a.m., the temperatures in major areas were Seoul -5.4°C, Incheon -7.0°C, Suwon -6.3°C, Chuncheon -3.9°C, Gangneung -0.5°C, Cheongju -3.8°C, Daejeon -4.4°C, Jeonju -4.1°C, Gwangju -1.6°C, Jeju 3.9°C, Daegu -2.4°C, Busan -1.5°C, Ulsan -1.5°C, Changwon -2.9°C, etc.

The highest daytime temperature is expected to be around -3 to 7 degrees Celsius.

The snow forecast for Gangwon Province and northern Gyeongsangbuk-do is also due to the continental high pressure. The wind blowing along the edge of the high pressure splits as it passes over both sides of the high Kaema Plateau, converging from different directions and developing snow clouds.

The expected snowfall amounts are about 1 cm in the central and northern Gangwon east coast, central and northern Gangwon mountains, and Jeju mountains; less than 0.1 cm in inland Gangwon, southern Gangwon mountains, northeastern Gyeongsangbuk-do mountains, and Jeju excluding mountainous areas.