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Strong wind, dry weather advisories to take effect in greater Seoul area

Published: 22 Feb. 2026, 12:31

Strong winds sweep up sand from the grounds at Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul on Feb. 21. [YONHAP]

A strong wind advisory will take effect in the greater Seoul area, including Seoul, as strong winds sweep across the country on Sunday.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) announced that it will issue a strong wind advisory for the Seoul metropolitan area at 9 p.m. on Sunday.

The advisory covers Gyeonggi; the five islands in the Yellow Sea; parts of Gangwon, including Taebaek; Yeongwol; the plains of Pyeongchang, Jeongseon, Hongcheon, Yanggu and Inje; as well as Hoengseong, Wonju, Cheorwon, Hwacheon and Chuncheon.

The advisory will also be applied to southern regions, such as South Chungcheong, including Asan, Buyeo, Cheongyang, Yesan, Taean, Dangjin, Seosan, Boryeong, Seocheon and Hongseong; South Jeolla, including Haenam, Yeongam, Muan, Hampyeong, Yeonggwang, Mokpo, Sinan except Heuksan-myeon, Jindo and Heuksando and Hongdo; North Jeolla, including Gochang, Buan, Gunsan, Gimje and Jeongeup.

The advisory also covers North Gyeongsang, including Yeongdeok; the plains of Uljin, Pohang, Gyeongju; the northeastern mountainous area; Chuja Island in Jeju; and Seoul, Incheon, Busan, Ulsan, Ulleungdo and Dokdo.

The strong wind advisory was expanded to the metropolitan area as experts expect differences in pressure to grow due to a low-pressure system passing north of the country, bringing gusts of at least 15 meters per second (49 feet per second), mainly to central regions, the KMA said.

Officials of the Ministry of Interior and Safety attend an interministerial meeting on preventing wildfires at the government complex in Sejong as strong wind advisories are set to be issued across the country on Feb. 20. [YONHAP]

At the same time, dry weather advisories will take effect in Seoul, Busan, Ulsan and Daegu except Gunwi.

Affected areas include Dongducheon and Uijeongbu in Gyeonggi, Gangneung, Donghae, Samcheok, Sokcho, Goseong, the plains of Yangyang, Taebaek, as well as the northern, central and southern mountainous areas of Gangwon, Cheongju and Yeongdong in North Chungcheong.

Additional affected areas are Gurye, Boseong, Yeosu, Gwangyang and Suncheon in South Jeolla, Gumi, Yeongcheon, Gyeongsan, Chilgok, Gimcheon, Sangju, Mungyeong, Andong, Uiseong, Cheongsong, Yeongdeok, the plains of Uljin, Pohang, Gyeongju, as well as the northeastern mountainous area in North Gyeongsang, Changwon, Gimhae, Uiryeong, Jinju, Hadong, Sancheong, Hamyang, Geochang, Hapcheon, Sacheon, Goseong and Namhae in South Gyeongsang.

A dry weather advisory is issued when the effective humidity level of wood and similar materials is expected to remain below 35 percent for at least two consecutive days.

With strong winds expected in already dry areas, authorities warned of heightened risks of wildfires and damage to facilities and urged people to exercise caution.

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.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]