Cold snap to ease this week; snow or rain forecast

A severe cold snap that has gripped the country for three days is expected to ease this week, though snow and rain are forecast from Tuesday, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Sunday.

Temperatures in Seoul are expected to fall as low as minus 8 degrees Celsius on Monday morning before rebounding as cold air moves eastward. Nationwide, morning lows Monday are forecast to range from minus 15 C to minus 4 C, colder than the seasonal average range of minus 10 C to 0 C.

Afternoon temperatures, however, are expected to recover to near-average levels, ranging from 2 C to 11 C. On Tuesday, morning lows are forecast to range from minus 6 C to 3 C, with afternoon highs between 3 C and 10 C, higher than average.

No further severe cold is expected this week, but rain or snow is forecast nationwide on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Precipitation is expected to begin Tuesday morning in parts of Incheon, northern Gyeonggi Province, mountainous inland areas of northern Gangwon Province, the Chungcheong region and Jeju Island, before spreading nationwide in the afternoon.

Snowfall is forecast at about 1 centimeter in the Seoul metropolitan area and the Jeolla region, 1 to 5 centimeters in Gangwon Province, and 1 to 3 centimeters in the Chungcheong, Gyeongsang and Jeju regions. If it falls as rain instead of snow, precipitation is expected to total 5 to 10 millimeters.

Dry conditions are expected to persist, particularly in eastern regions. Strong winds of up to 55 kilometers per hour are forecast nationwide, raising concerns about wildfires.

The cold snap peaked Sunday, with morning temperatures plunging to minus 18 C in some areas. Heavy snow fell in parts of the country, including the Jeolla provinces and Jeju Island.

Cold wave alerts were issued across much of the country, with cold wave warnings in northern Gyeonggi Province and parts of Gangwon Province.

Jeju Island was hit especially hard by heavy snow. Jeju International Airport temporarily halted runway operations in the morning to clear snow, and 150 flights were canceled before the airport resumed operations at 11 a.m. Maritime routes were also suspended in the morning.

In Gwangju, four flights bound for Jeju were canceled, while one flight from Yeosu to Jeju was also called off. Multiple accidents were reported on Jeju, including vehicle crashes and falls on icy roads.