Arya News - Though no injuries or deaths had been reported as of 11 a.m. Sunday, the National Fire Agency saw up to 14 reports of safety issues. Most of the 10 reports concerned traffic congestion due to accumulated snow, as well as cars skidding on the roads and the possibility of structures collapsing.
SEOUL – Heavy snow blanketed South Korea’s Greater Seoul area — consisting of Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon — as well as Gangwon Province on Sunday, with forecasts predicting additional snowfall and a cold snap later this week.
The Korea Meteorological Administration issued a heavy snow advisory as of 11 a.m. Sunday in some parts of Gyeonggi and Gangwon Province as well as Seoul, as the regions expected to see 1 to 3 centimeters of snowfall per hour on Sunday. In Korea, a heavy snow advisory is issued when snowfall is expected to reach above 5 cm within 24 hours to brace for possible accidents and disruptions. The advisory was lifted in such regions as of 3:30 p.m., and was only issued in mountainous parts of Jeju Island.
The Ministry of Interior and Safety also stated that it activated Level 1 operations at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters and raised the crisis alert to “caution” from “attention” as of 8 a.m.
According to the Interior Ministry, General Director for Disaster and Safety Management Yi Han-kyung instructed relevant agencies to mobilize personnel and equipment to minimize damage such as roof collapses due to heavy snowfall and to implement measures to reduce inconveniences to the public such as traffic congestion.
Though no injuries or deaths had been reported as of 11 a.m. Sunday, the National Fire Agency saw up to 14 reports of safety issues. Ten such reports were made in Incheon while four were made in Seoul.
Most of the 10 reports made in Incheon concerned traffic congestion due to accumulated snow, as well as cars skidding on the roads and the possibility of structures collapsing.
At 8:01 a.m., a report was filed to fire officials from Dong-gu in Incheon claiming that a traffic signal apparatus could fall due to the buildup of snow, prompting authorities to take safety measures. At 8:11 a.m., another report was filed from Namdong-gu in Incheon regarding vehicles skidding due to icy roads.
With as much as 8 cm of snow expected to fall in Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Government stated on Sunday that it had deployed 5,245 personnel and 1,493 pieces of snow removal equipment. Out of the 25 districts in Seoul, Seodaemun-gu in western Seoul saw the highest snowfall, with up to 5.1 cm of accumulated snow.
According to the KMA, Sunday’s heavy snowfall was caused by warm southwesterly or westerly winds flowing between the high-pressure system to the south of Korea as well as the trough passing through the north, colliding with the cold air sitting over Korea.
The state weather agency added that more than 3 cm to 8 cm of snow is expected to fall in the same regions on Monday, with heavily hit regions in Gangwon Province, as well as northern and eastern parts of Gyeonggi Province, expecting to see snow of up to 10 cm.
As a cold continental high-pressure system expands, strong northwesterly winds are expected to intensify from Tuesday through Thursday, bringing heavy snowfall primarily to North and South Jeolla Provinces and Jeju Island.
Temperatures across the nation will plunge sharply as the cold wave sweeps in. By Thursday, Seoul’s temperature is forecast to drop to minus 11 degrees Celsius, marking the coldest day of the winter season so far and signaling a nationwide cold snap.