South Korea Experiences Heavy Snowfall During Lunar New Year
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Synopsis
On January 28, heavy snow impacted South Korea, with significant accumulation in Jeju and other regions. Temperatures dropped dramatically, causing travel disruptions and closures of national parks.
Key Takeaways
- Heavy snow accumulated in Jeju, reaching 120 cm.
- Snowfall exceeded 10 cm in cities like Chungju, Wonju, and Daejeon.
- Seoul experienced 2.5 cm of snow.
- Cold temperatures ranged from -10°C to 0°C.
- Travel disruptions included canceled flights and suspended ferry services.
Seoul, Jan 28 (NationPress) Intense snowfall covered South Korea on Tuesday, with approximately 120 centimeters of snow accumulating in the mountainous regions of the southern resort island of Jeju.
Other parts of the nation faced significant snowfall as well, with cities like Chungju, Wonju, and Daejeon receiving over 10 cm of snow. Meanwhile, Seoul recorded around 2.5 cm of snow.
As of 8 a.m., areas under a snow advisory were experiencing 1 to 3 cm of snow per hour, with some regions seeing about 5 cm of snow per hour.
The weather agency has forecasted that both snow and rain are likely to persist into Wednesday, with expectations of up to 15 cm of snow in central and southern regions, including Daejeon, Sejong, Gwangju, the South and North Jeolla provinces, and South Chungcheong Province.
For Seoul, Incheon, and surrounding Gyeonggi Province, an additional 3 to 8 cm of snow is anticipated.
A cold snap has also taken hold of the country, with morning temperatures ranging from -10 degrees Celsius to 0 degrees Celsius.
Daytime highs are predicted to remain between -5 degrees Celsius and 6 degrees Celsius, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
Due to the severe weather, three flights were canceled, and around 70 passenger ships on 56 sea routes were suspended, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.
In addition, the entrances to 19 national parks across the nation were closed off for safety reasons, as stated by officials.
The Lunar New Year marks the start of a new year based on lunar calendars or, more commonly, lunisolar calendars. Typically, both types of calendars begin with a new moon; however, while a lunar calendar has a fixed number of lunar months (usually twelve), lunisolar calendars have a varying count of lunar months, periodically resetting to align with the solar year.
This event is celebrated by various cultures in different ways on diverse dates, and the determination of the first day of a new lunar or lunisolar year varies by culture.
