Severe cold to ease after temperatures plunge to minus 17 C

Temperatures plunged as low as minus 17 degrees Celsius on Friday, with strong winds driving wind chills even lower, weather officials said. However, the prolonged cold spell that has gripped the country for about 10 days is expected to start easing within days.

According to the weather agency, morning lows on Friday in Korea ranged from minus 17 degrees Celsius to minus 2, while daytime highs were forecast to range between minus 4 and 6 degrees Celsius, lower than seasonal averages.

The severe cold is expected to gradually subside starting next week.

Lee Chang-jae, a forecast analysis officer at the Korea Meteorological Administration, said Thursday that cold air from the north that has caused the prolonged chill is expected to move eastward beginning this weekend. As high pressure builds over southern China, milder westerly winds are forecast to flow into the Korean Peninsula, gradually restoring temperatures to seasonal norms.

Average low temperatures are expected to range between minus 10 degrees Celsius and zero, while daytime highs are forecast to range from 3 to 9 degrees Celsius.

In recent days, many central regions have recorded subzero temperatures, but readings are expected to climb above freezing gradually.