Be Cautious of Safety Accidents in Mountainous Areas
On the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the 25th, heavy snow warnings were issued for Gangwon-do and Jeju, and rain or snow fell in parts of Gyeongbuk, Busan, and Ulsan. Attention is required for safety accidents in mountainous areas as well as traffic safety on icy roads.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the 25th, heavy snow warnings were issued for Gangwon Province and Jeju. Photo by Asia Economy DB
The Korea Meteorological Administration issued a heavy snow warning from 6:10 p.m. on the 25th for the southern, central, and northern mountainous areas of Gangwon region. A heavy snow warning is issued when it is predicted that snow will accumulate more than 5 cm within 24 hours. Especially around the mountainous areas, snow is continuously accumulating at about 1 cm per hour. Since the snow is wet and heavy, the Meteorological Administration urged caution for driving and walking safety on snowy roads.
The snow that started falling from 7 p.m. the previous day is also a concern. As of 6 p.m. on the same day, the major snow depths in the province were: Dogye (Samcheok) 23.4 cm, Sapdallyeong 13 cm, Misiryeong 12.5 cm, Seongsan (Gangneung) 11.5 cm, Wangsang (Gangneung) 9.7 cm, Guryongryeong 9.3 cm, Hyangrobong 8.2 cm, Taebaek 8 cm, Jinburyeong 6.5 cm, and Daegwallyeong 6.5 cm.
Due to the heavy snow, traffic accidents occurred one after another, and passengers trapped inside vehicles that slipped on snowy roads suffered damages. Around 12:35 a.m. on the 25th, near the summit of Anbandegi in Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, a passenger car was trapped by heavy snow, and the fire department dispatched to rescue the driver in his 30s and two passengers.
Snow and rain in the mountainous areas and Yeongdong region may continue until the early morning of the 26th. Also, in the mountainous areas, dense fog with visibility below 200 meters may form due to low cloud bands.
Strong winds are expected throughout the weekend in Jeju. A strong wind warning is in effect for the southern mid-mountain area of Jeju Island, northern mid-mountain area of Jeju Island, Chuja-do, southern Jeju Island, eastern Jeju Island, and northern Jeju Island. A strong wind warning is issued when wind speeds on land are expected to exceed 14 m/s with gusts over 20 m/s, and a wind wave warning is issued when winds over 14 m/s persist for more than 3 hours at sea or when significant wave heights are expected to exceed 3 meters. These warnings are expected to be lifted late afternoon on the 26th. As of 6:20 p.m. on the 25th, a heavy snow warning was also issued for the mountainous areas of Jeju Island.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
