Extreme cold temperatures to continue until Fri. morning

Pedestrians in thick winter jackets walk near Government Complex Gwacheon in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

As a cold continental high pressure extends from northern China, temperatures will remain below freezing nationwide on Wednesday and continue until Friday morning, said the Korea Meteorological Administration.

In the central region, eastern parts of North Jeolla Province and inland regions of North Gyeongsang Province where a cold wave warning has been issued, temperatures were recorded to be as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius, while other regions’ temperatures recorded as low as minus 5 C, said the KMA.

On Wednesday, Seoul’s morning lows were recorded at minus 11.1 C, with wind chill temperatures at minus 17.4 C. In Incheon, morning lows were as low as 10.2 C with wind chill temperatures of minus 18.2 C, while Gangwon Province’s mountainous regions recorded temperatures as low as minus 19.5 C and wind chill temperatures at minus 28.9 C.

Extreme cold temperatures are expected to continue for the next two days, with Thursday’s average morning temperatures nationwide expected to range between minus 16 C and 1 C, with daytime temperatures ranging between minus 2 C and 6 C. On Friday, morning lows will range between minus 13 C to 0 C, and temperatures will become warmer from the afternoon, with daytime temperatures ranging between 2 C and 9 C.

The KMA also predicted that up to 3 to 10 centimeters of snow are expected to fall in the Jeolla Provinces while Jeju Island can expect to see up to 5 to 20 cm of snow or rain until Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, up to 356 flights were canceled due to strong winds and snow as of 6 a.m., Wednesday morning, including 180 outbound flights from Jeju Island. With up to 22 centimeters of snow collected on Jeju Island, up to 20,000 passengers were unable to fly out from the island.

Since Tuesday, more than 200 reports of falls due to icy roads and requests for icicle removal were made. A total of 133 water meters -- with 60 from Seoul and 33 from Incheon -- were also damaged but have been repaired.

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