Retreating Late at Night, Some Staying Until Tomorrow
31cm of Snow on Jeju’s Hallasan Today… 10cm in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi
On the 27th, as snow and rain poured down nationwide, the southbound lanes near Jamwon IC on the Gyeongbu Expressway in Seoul experienced traffic congestion. The Korea Expressway Corporation announced that heavy snow with an intensity of 3-5cm per hour is expected across various parts of the country, including the central regions, until the afternoon, raising concerns about severe congestion.
Dust originating from the Gobi Desert three days ago has moved to the Korean Peninsula, and as of 11 AM on the 27th, it is being observed in some areas. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the current average fine dust (PM10) concentration per hour is 142㎍/㎥ in Seoul, 140㎍/㎥ in Suwon, 126㎍/㎥ in Anmyeondo, 104㎍/㎥ in Yeonpyeongdo, and 95㎍/㎥ in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do.
The yellow dust is expected to affect mainly the western regions such as the metropolitan area but will retreat late at night, though it may remain in some areas until the 28th.
Meanwhile, as of 11 AM, snowfall alerts are in effect in parts of the central region, Honam, Yeongnam, and mountainous areas of Jeju, with snow falling at a rate of 1-3cm per hour. The newly accumulated snow today measures 31.0cm at the Eorimok area of Hallasan in Jeju, 9.3cm in Mungyeong, Gyeongbuk (Dongno-myeon), 8.5cm in Sangju, Gyeongbuk (Hwasa-myeon), 9.8cm at Seolcheonbong in Muju, Jeollabuk-do, 9.5cm on Gyeryongsan in Chungnam, 8.8cm in Jecheon, Chungbuk (Baegun-myeon), 10.1cm in Cheorwon, Gangwon (Imnam-myeon), and 10.2cm in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi (Jojong-myeon), with Seoul and Incheon receiving 2.4cm.
The snowfall is expected to continue until as late as the 29th, the day of the Lunar New Year. Particularly in the central regions, Jeollabuk-do, and the mountainous areas of Jeju, snow could fall at 3-5cm per hour until the afternoon of the 27th, and at 1-3cm per hour in the southern regions outside Jeollabuk-do. In some areas, up to 5cm of snow could fall within an hour.
However, there may be lulls in snow in the western regions, including the metropolitan area, during the morning and in Yeongnam from afternoon to night. Afterward, heavy snow ranging from 1-3cm (up to about 5cm) per hour is expected across the country from the early hours until the afternoon of the 28th (starting from the night of the 27th in the metropolitan area, Gangwon’s inland, and Gangwon’s mountainous areas, and Honam).