[Financial News] A cold wave advisory has been issued unexpectedly during the last seasonal term of spring, Gogu (穀雨). Starting from the afternoon of the 20th, cold air has begun to descend from the north, prompting a cold wave warning in parts of Gangwon, Chungnam, and Jeonbuk regions. This is the latest occurrence of such an advisory since 2005.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, starting from the afternoon of the 20th, cold air from the northwest is expected to cause temperatures to drop rapidly. Particularly on the morning of the 21st, temperatures across most of the country are expected to decrease by 5 to 10 degrees compared to the previous day, with some regions experiencing a sharp drop of around 10 degrees.
The cold wave advisory is issued between October and April when the morning’s minimum temperature drops more than 10 degrees from the previous day to 3 degrees or below, and is expected to be more than 3 degrees lower than the average. This recent advisory was issued based on these criteria.
This advisory is the latest recorded in history. The previous record was April 13, 2021. By region, the latest cold wave advisories were recorded on April 13, 2021, in the southern mountainous area of Gangwon and Muju, April 11, 2023, in Geumsan, and March 21, 2019, in Gongju.
The temperature drop is also significant. In Gongju, the morning’s minimum temperature on the 20th was predicted to fall from 12 degrees to 2 degrees by the 21st. Geumsan and Muju are also expected to see drops from 13.7 degrees and 14.1 degrees, respectively, to around 2 degrees. In Seoul, the temperature is expected to decrease from 13.7 degrees to 6 degrees during the same period.
The Korea Meteorological Administration analyzed that this sharp temperature drop is due to the influx of cold air from the northwest following a pressure trough passing through the north. With the recent days having been warmer, the sudden introduction of cold air has resulted in a more pronounced temperature drop.