Brace for even colder Saturday, then letup on Sunday

Pedestrians are seen bundled up in padded jackets in central Seoul on Friday amid the bitter cold. (Yonhap)

Bitter cold weather will continue to grip the nation over the weekend, with temperatures plunging below minus 15 degrees Celsius in most regions, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration Friday.

"The inflow of very cold air from the northwest in the upper atmosphere is expected to sustain the cold wave until Saturday morning. Temperatures will run 2 to 7 degrees below the winter average," the KMA said.

Morning lows on Saturday will fall to as low as minus 15 C, while afternoon highs will range from minus 1 to 7 C.

Temperatures will rebound on Sunday, with morning lows ranging from minus 6 to 2 C and daytime highs from 2 to 12 C.

Friday saw the coldest weather of the winter so far.

In Seoul, the temperature stood at minus 11.8 C as of 8 a.m., while wind chill temperatures dropped to minus 20 C.

Even harsher conditions were recorded in Gangwon Province. At Hyangnobong Peak, a mountain located between Goseong and Inje counties, the morning low fell to minus 21.3 C, with wind chill temperatures plunging to minus 35.3 C, according to the Gangwon Regional Meteorological Administration.

As the bitter cold persisted, cold wave advisories were issued for Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, as well as Daegu and Busan, while cold wave warnings were in effect for parts of northern Gangwon Province, Jecheon in North Chungcheong Province and northeastern mountainous areas of North Gyeongsang Province.

A cold wave advisory is issued when morning low temperatures are forecast to fall to minus 12 C or lower and persist for two or more days, while a cold wave warning is issued when morning lows are expected to drop to minus 15 C or lower for at least two consecutive days, officials said.