Temperatures to temporarily plunge as cold air follows rain
Temperatures will fall by up to 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) Thursday, with subzero lows, strong winds and frost expected in parts of the country.
A pedestrian wearing a thick coat with the hood pulled up crosses a street in Jung District, Daegu, on Oct. 15.NEWS1
A brief cold snap will follow Wednesday’s rain, cutting Thursday morning temperatures across Korea by about 5 to 10 degrees Celsius (9 to 18 degrees Fahrenheit) and pushing parts of Gyeonggi and Gangwon below freezing.
Seoul is forecast to reach a high of 22 degrees Celsius on Tuesday and 15 degrees Celsius on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). It is then slated to record 4 degrees Celsius on Thursday morning. Nationwide, Thursday’s morning lows will range from minus 1 to 10 degrees Celsius and daytime highs from 14 to 19 degrees Celsius, below the seasonal average.
Rain in the southern regions and Jeju Island on Tuesday will continue until early Wednesday morning, KMA said.
Through Wednesday, the mountainous and midmountain areas of Jeju are expected to receive 20 to 60 millimeters (0.8 to 2.4 inches) of rain; Gwangju, South Jeolla, Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang 10 to 50 millimeters; North Jeolla and central and southern parts of Daegu and North Gyeongsang 5 to 20 millimeters; and the Chungcheong region 5 to 10 millimeters. Parts of the greater Seoul area, and inland and mountainous parts of Gangwon may also see less than 5 millimeters of rain from early Wednesday morning through the forenoon.
Strong wind will make it feel even colder. Gusts of 20 meters per second (45 miles per hour) or more, and 25 meters per second in mountainous areas, are expected from early Wednesday morning, mainly along the west coast, on Jeju Island, in Gangwon’s mountains and along its east coast and on the North Gyeongsang coast. Strong wind advisories may be issued.
Visitors enjoy the autumn scenery as reeds turn golden in Ansan, Gyeonggi, on Oct. 16.YONHAP
Gusts of around 15 meters per second are forecast to blow across the rest of the country. The wind chill in parts of the capital area, including Gapyeong County in Gyeonggi, will make it feel like minus 2 degrees Celsius.
The sudden drop is expected to bring frost to inland areas nationwide on Thursday, with ice forming in eastern Gyeonggi, inland and mountainous Gangwon, northeastern North Jeolla and the central and northern inland and northeastern mountainous areas of North Gyeongsang. The gap between daytime and nighttime temperatures will reach around 15 degrees Celsius, mainly in inland areas.
“We ask the public to take care of their health amid low temperatures and sudden temperature changes,” the KMA said. “Please also take care in managing crops.”
The cold will be short-lived, however. Morning lows will rise to 2 to 14 degrees Celsius and daytime highs to 18 to 22 degrees Celsius on Friday. Rain is forecast for Jeju on Saturday, and temperatures from Saturday through next Thursday are expected to be in line with seasonal averages.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
