Arctic Cold Air Trapped and Warm Southwesterly Winds Blowing
Dry Weather with Strong Winds Over the Weekend…Possibility of Yellow Dust
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Jae-young – Starting on Friday the 20th, temperatures will rise to levels higher than usual, turning warm until Saturday the 21st, followed by some rain and cooler weather on Sunday the 22nd.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on the 19th, from the 20th to the 21st, a “southern high, northern low” pressure system is expected. This will bring warm southwesterly winds into the country from the high-pressure system centered over the southeastern seas of Japan. With Arctic cold air still trapped in the Arctic, there will be no severe cold until the 21st.
Forecasts predict morning temperatures on the 20th to be between -6 to 5 degrees Celsius and daytime highs between 10 to 16 degrees. On the 21st, temperatures will range from -3 to 8 degrees in the morning and 12 to 19 degrees in the afternoon. These temperatures are higher than the average (-8 to 2 degrees for lows and 5 to 10 degrees for highs).
Later, on the 22nd, an upper-level low-pressure system from the northwest will pass north of Korea, bringing rain to the central region between dawn and the afternoon (rain or snow in the inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon). The entry of cold air behind the low pressure into Korea’s warm air will make the atmosphere unstable.
This rainfall will be accompanied by strong winds. As the distance between the low and high-pressure systems decreases, the “pressure gradient force” (the force causing wind from high to low-pressure areas) will strengthen, leading to strong winds over the weekend.
The Korea Meteorological Administration predicts that from the night of the 21st, winds will strengthen with momentary speeds reaching around 70km/h (90km/h in mountainous regions) on the west coast, Gangwon mountains, Gangwon east coast, northeastern Gyeongsang mountains, and Gyeongsang east coast, and around 55km/h in the rest of the central inland areas. A strong wind warning might be issued in Yeongdong, Gangwon.
At sea, over the weekend, strong winds and high waves are expected, particularly until the 23rd in the East Sea, resulting in a marine weather warning.
There may also be an influence of yellow dust over the weekend. A strongly developed low-pressure system passing north of Korea may stir up yellow dust as it moves through Inner Mongolia. However, the extent to which the dust will originate and affect the country is still unpredictable.
After the rain on the 22nd, Arctic cold air will descend to the vicinity of Korea, and the country will come under the influence of the continental high pressure, causing temperatures to drop again. However, it is not expected to fall significantly below the average.
On the 22nd, morning temperatures are predicted to be 1 to 13 degrees and daytime highs 5 to 19 degrees. On the 23rd, next Monday, the temperature will range from -6 to 3 degrees in the morning and 5 to 14 degrees in the afternoon. On the 24th to 25th, morning temperatures will be -3 to 8 degrees and daytime highs 5 to 16 degrees.
Although temperatures will fluctuate, westerly winds at the surface will remain consistent. As a result, the east of the Baekdudaegan mountain range will be very dry. Westerly winds cause the eastern regions to become drier as the wind crosses over mountains, drying further.
Over the weekend, strong winds could potentially cause large fires such as forest fires, warranting extra caution.