Cold, snow causing headaches for Winter Youth Olympics

A bitter cold wave is expected to sweep through the peninsula this week, with cold wave advisories in effect for some parts of the country, including the greater Seoul area and Gangwon, as of 9 p.m. Sunday.

Volunteers clear snow ahead of the single mixed relay biathlon during the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games at Alpensia Biathlon Centre in Pyeongchang on Sunday. [AFP/YONHAP]

Heavy snowfall hit Gangwon in Korea over the weekend, disrupting schedules and events for the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics.

A bitter cold wave is expected to sweep through the peninsula this week, with cold wave advisories in effect for some parts of the country, including the greater Seoul area and Gangwon, as of 9 p.m. Sunday.

A cold wave advisory is issued when the morning low is expected to remain at minus 12 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit) or lower for at least two consecutive days or the morning low is expected to drop by more than 10 degrees Celsius from the previous day to 3 degrees Celsius or lower.

The capital's morning low on Monday is expected to plummet to minus 10 degrees Celsius.

On Sunday, short track speed skater Lee June-seo, the men's relay silver medalist in 2022, had to cancel his clinic session scheduled at 11 a.m. Sunday in Gangneung due to heavy snow. The competition schedule for the men's Super G race in alpine skiing in Jeongseon was postponed from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on the same day.

A day earlier, Choi Min-jeong, a two-time Olympic short-track speedskating champion, also had to scrap her one-point lesson as a mix of snow and rain continued in Gangneung.

According to Gangwon's provincial government, 953 snowplows and 12,237 personnel were deployed over the weekend to remove snow. Although the heavy snow watch issued in Gangwon was lifted on Sunday morning, snowfall continued in the region.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), around 2 to 7 centimeters (0.8 to 2.8 inches) of snow were expected to accumulate in the Yeongdong region of Gangwon through Sunday afternoon.

The Yeongdong region includes the coastal areas of Goseong and Yangyang counties and the cities of Sokcho, Gangneung, Donghae, Samcheok and Taebaek.

The Organizing Committee of the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 advised visitors to check its official website regularly, as schedules are expected to change according to weather conditions. The Winter Youth Olympics is scheduled to run through Feb. 1.

Passersby in puffers walk the streets of Jongno District, downtown Seoul, on Sunday afternoon. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issued a cold wave advisory in Seoul for 9 p.m. Sunday for the first time this year. [NEWS1]

From Thursday through Sunday morning in Gangwon, approximately 44 centimeters of snow piled up in Wangsan-myeon, Gangneung, and 22.9 centimeters in Taebaek.

The province eased its three-tier emergency alert status by one notch from level 2 to level 1 at 8 a.m. Sunday. It issued the level 2 alert on Saturday afternoon.

The wind chill in Seoul is expected to drop to as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius on Tuesday when the cold snap peaks.

“The cold air will descend on Sunday night, causing the morning mercury to plunge by over 10 degrees Celsius on Monday compared to Sunday,” the KMA said.

The nation's average morning lows are anticipated to plunge to minus 11 degrees Celsius on Monday and to minus 18 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.

Around 1 to 3 centimeters of snow are expected to accumulate in the eastern regions of Gyeonggi through Monday morning, and 2 to 7 centimeters of snow in the mountainous areas of Gangwon. Additionally, around 5 millimeters of rain will fall in the inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon and Chungcheong through Monday morning.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, and Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, wave to the audience during the opening ceremony for the Winter Youth Olympics held at Gangneung Oval in Gangneung, Gangwon, on Friday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

Meanwhile, the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics kicked off with an opening ceremony on Friday attended by President Yoon Suk Yeol, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon.

"[The Winter Youth Olympics] will be a festival where the youth from different countries and backgrounds will compete, connect and come together,” Yoon said during a reception held shortly before the opening ceremony.

“I hope everyone will wholly support the future generation to challenge themselves to their limits and grow further through the Olympics.”

BY CHO JUNG-WOO, CHON KWON-PIL [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]