Heavy snow expected nationwide until Wednesday

Pedestrians wait to cross the street as snow falls near Anguk Station in Seoul, Saturday. (Yonhap)

Heavy snow is expected across South Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Monday.

According to the KMA, snowfall will begin Tuesday morning in northern areas of the country, including Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, inland and mountainous regions of Gangwon Province, and the northern parts of South Chungcheong Province. Snow clouds will then expand to the central region, into North and South Jeolla provinces and across western parts of North and South Gyeongsang provinces between 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Snow is not expected in southeastern areas of North and South Jeolla provinces, nor on the western coast of the peninsula.

Snowfall is expected to continue throughout the night and cease in most regions from Wednesday morning. However, due to eastern winds, snow will continue to fall in Gangwon Province and along the eastern coast of North Gyeongsang Province.

On average, up to 20 centimeters of snow is expected to accumulate through Wednesday, with more than 3 cm of snow expected to fall per hour. In Seoul, Incheon and the western coastal regions of Gyeonggi Province, around 3 to 8 cm of snowfall is expected. Inland and mountainous regions can expect to see between 5 and 15 cm of snow.

Heavy snow advisories will be issued for metropolitan areas, North and South Chungcheong provinces, inland Gangwon Province and North Gyeongsang Province from Monday afternoon. While snow is expected to completely cease nationwide on Wednesday, it may continue through Thursday afternoon in Yeongseo, Gangwon Province.

Temperatures are expected to be similar to previous years, with morning temperatures ranging between minus 7 degrees Celsius and 1 C, and daytime temperatures ranging between 1 C to 9 C. From Thursday until Jan. 17, the KMA predicts temperatures will be “slightly higher or similar to previous years.”

By Lee Jung-joo(lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com)