Snow, cold wave forecast until Saturday

Morning commuters wait for buses on Wednesday morning, when a heavy snow advisory was issued across Seoul. The advisory was lifted in the morning, but snow is expected to continue until Saturday. (Yonhap)

Amid heavy snow in the Seoul metropolitan area from early Wednesday morning, the Korea Meteorological Administration forecast more heavy snow from Thursday to Saturday, urging caution against safety accidents.

The KMA said in a briefing Wednesday that heavy snow will continue from Thursday to Saturday morning, mainly in Chungcheong, Jeolla Province and Jeju Island. The snow will last a long time due to the temperature differences between the sea water and lower atmosphere, the official explained.

On Thursday, 10 to 25 centimeters of snow will fall in Jeolla Province, the coastal area of South Chungcheong Province, Jeju Island, Ulleung Island and Dokdo. More than 50 cm of snow will fall in the mountainous areas of Jeju Island while western South Jeolla Province and North Jeolla Province will see 30 cm of snow in same period.

As of Wednesday 1 p.m., the cold wave advisory is planned to take effect from 9 p.m. the same day in central areas such as the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon Province. With temperatures remaining lower than average years until next week, the KMA said cold wave advisories are likely to be continue until early next week.

The KMA warned that the extended period of snow could cause traffic accidents on icy roads, pedestrian falls, and collapse of facilities due to the weight of snow.

Meanwhile, citizens suffered from inconveniences caused by heavy snow on Wednesday morning, with roads blocked and flights canceled nationwide. As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, 20 local roads in South Gyeongsang Province, three in South Chungcheong Province and one in South Jeolla Province were blocked, with a total of four flights canceled in Jeju, Gimpo, Pohang and Wonju, and seven passenger ships were restricted.

A total of 147 cases of water meters freezing occurred, including 107 cases in Seoul, 25 cases in Incheon and 10 cases in North Chungcheong Province.

By Lee Jung-youn(jy@heraldcorp.com)