Unexpected heavy March snow blankets South Korea

Just two days before the spring equinox, unseasonal heavy snow pounded South Korea Tuesday, with most parts of the country receiving up to 5 centimeters of hourly snowfall by 11 a.m.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heavy snow advisories were issued nationwide Tuesday, particularly for Gangwon Province, the Chungcheong provinces, the Jeolla provinces and inland regions of the Gyeongsang provinces.

Tuesday’s snowfall was caused by a polar low moving across the Korean Peninsula, which is a short-lived, intense and small low-pressure system formed when cold air from the Arctic moves over relatively warm waters. When a polar low is formed, heavy snow or rain, strong winds and thunder and lightning are observed in areas near the low-pressure system.

Accumulated snowfall recorded from 8 p.m. Monday to 10 a.m. Tuesday reached up to 27.2 cm in Goseong, Gangwon Province, while Muju, North Jeolla Province, saw up to 16.9 cm of accumulated snow.

Heavy snowfall was also recorded in the Greater Seoul region, which includes Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, with Gangbuk-gu, northern Seoul, seeing up to 11.9 cm of accumulated snow over the same period. Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, recorded snowfall of up to 13.8 cm, as up to 15 cm of snow was recorded in cities located in northeastern parts of the Greater Seoul region.

Ahead of the snow forecast for Tuesday, the capital city issued a heavy snow warning at 11 p.m. Monday. Such warnings are issued by the KMA when snowfall is expected to exceed 20 cm within 24 hours. According to the state weather agency, this was also the latest heavy snow warning issued in the city on record since it began to record snowfall advisories in 1999.

Mountainous regions of Gangwon Province, which had already seen heavy snow since Sunday, received 20 to 30 cm of accumulated snow as of 8 a.m. Tuesday.

The unseasonal snowfall caused traffic delays and non-traffic-related safety issues in various places around the country Tuesday morning.

Train operations on the U Line, a light metro line running between Uijeongbu and Seoul, were disrupted for over two hours from 5:15 a.m., as the “train detection signal system was covered with snow.” According to a U Line official cited in local media reports, normal operations resumed at 7:25 a.m.

Traffic congestion also occurred in various parts of Seoul, as cars slowed due to slippery roads. As of 7 a.m., the average traffic speed in central parts of Seoul fell to 17.9 kilometers per hour, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

In Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, an Uzbek man in his 20s died in a single-car accident early Tuesday morning, after his car crashed into a median barrier on a slippery road. At 7:45 a.m., a 5-ton truck also skidded before overturning on the Seosang Interchange due to slippery roads.

At 10:47 a.m., a 41-vehicle pileup occurred on the Namhae Expressway in Boseong, South Jeolla Province. Though authorities are assessing the extent of damages, initial reports indicate that most drivers and passengers sustained only minor injuries.

According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, firefighting officials had responded to seven reports as of 11 a.m. Tuesday. Two of the incidents were related to traffic accidents caused by slippery roads and five of the incidents were non-traffic-related safety issues.

As of 11 a.m., 69 ferry routes had been canceled and eight flights were grounded. Fifteen national parks remain closed to the public while nine roads were closed to prevent further safety incidents.

Tuesday’s snow and other erratic weather patterns was expected to finish in the Greater Seoul region and the North and South Jeolla provinces from late Tuesday afternoon. However, mountainous regions in Gangwon Province, northern regions of North Gyeongsang Province and northeastern regions of Gyeonggi Province were to continue to see heavy snowfall of at least 10 cm until the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Due to the impact of Tuesday’s polar lows, temperatures lower than in previous years will be observed until Wednesday, with morning lows and daytime temperatures expected to record minus 2 degrees Celsius and 7 C, respectively. As warm westerly winds begin to move into the country from Thursday, Korea will begin to welcome warm spring temperatures, with morning and daytime temperatures anticipated to reach 2 C and 14 C, respectively.