'Cherry blossoms and snow at the same time': Seoul sees first mid-April snow since 1907

Seoul experienced its first mid-April snow since 1907, turning a day of cherry blossoms into one of icy roads.

People walk along the cherry blossom road in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on April 13. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Spring took a strange turn in Seoul on Saturday when the first mid-April snow since 1907 fell on the city, turning a day of cherry blossoms into one of icy roads.

The weather turned sharply, as daytime temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) turned to cold, strong winds, hail and icy roads within hours starting Saturday night.

Songwol-dong of Jongno District, central Seoul, saw accumulated snow of up to 0.6 centimeters (0.24 inches) between Saturday night and Sunday morning, marking the second-largest snowfall recorded in April after the 2.3 centimeters logged on April 6, 1931.

Suwon, Gyeonggi, also saw its first mid-April snow on Saturday since the city's weather observations began there in 1964.

Sunday's lowest temperatures ranged from 0.1 to 6.7 degrees Celsius nationwide in stark contrast to the 14.3 to 24.7 degrees Celsius logged the day before.

People holding umbrellas walk along the Gongjicheon trail in Chuncheon, Gangwon, as strong winds with snow and rain on April 14. [YONHAP]

The temperature in Seoul dropped to 1.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday, with strong winds contributing to a wind chill of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius.

Social media users posted photos and videos overnight of cherry blossoms covered in snow.

“It feels strange to see cherry blossoms and snow at the same time,” one user wrote.

A tourist takes a photo of cherry blossoms and snow-covered Mount Namdeogyu with a phone in Hamyang County, South Gyeongsang, on April 13. [YONHAP]

Cold and powerful winds swept across the country, pushing temperatures down. Rain brought by the low-pressure front fell as snow in several regions.

“The upper atmosphere saw cold air below minus 30 degrees Celsius pass through, which made the atmosphere unstable,” a Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) official said on Sunday. “As a result, some areas experienced gusts, thunder, lightning and even graupel.”

People hurry through falling snow near Jogyesa Temple in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 13. [NEWS1]

Strong winds also prompted weather advisories across the country.

Wind advisories were in effect for the Seoul metropolitan area, South Chungcheong, the west coast and the east coast while all seas were under high seas advisories.

Wind gusts reached up to 24 meters per second in the Yeongdong region of Gangwon.

Yellow dust also blew in with the winds. The dust originated from the northwest of the Bohai Sea, reached Korea's west coast on Sunday and blanketed the greater Seoul area.

The KMA recorded yellow dust of 124 micrograms per cubic meter in Seoul, the highest in the country. The dust is expected to dissipate by Monday

The KMA forecast more precipitation across the country through Tuesday.

Rainfall of 5 to 20 millimeters (0.2 to 0.8 inches) is expected in North Chungcheong, South Jeolla, North Gyeongsang and South Gyeongsang, while snowfall of around 1 centimeter may occur in the capital area and mountainous areas in the southern regions between Monday and Tuesday.

“With temperatures dropping sharply, icy roads could form in many inland areas on Monday morning,” the KMA warned on Sunday.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY JEONG EUN-HYE [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]