ANN/THE KOREA HERALD – Heavy snowfall covered South Korea’s Greater Seoul area – including Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon – along with Gangwon Province yesterday, with forecasts predicting further snow and a cold snap later in the week.
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issued a heavy snow advisory at 11am for parts of Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces, as well as Seoul.
Snowfall rates of one to three centimetres per hour were anticipated. In South Korea, a heavy snow advisory is declared when snowfall is expected to exceed five centimetres (cm) within 24 hours to prepare for potential accidents and disruptions.
The advisory was lifted in these regions by 3.30pm but remained in effect for mountainous areas of Jeju Island.
The Ministry of Interior and Safety reported that level one operations had been activated at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, and the crisis alert was raised from “attention” to “caution” as of 8am. According to the Interior Ministry, General Director for Disaster and Safety Management Yi Han-kyung instructed relevant agencies to mobilise personnel and equipment to minimise damage such as roof collapses due to heavy snowfall and to implement measures to reduce inconveniences to the public such as traffic congestion.
Though no injuries or deaths had been reported as of 11am yesterday, the National Fire Agency saw up to 14 reports of safety issues. Ten such reports were made in Incheon while four were made in Seoul.
Most of the 10 reports made in Incheon concerned traffic congestion due to accumulated snow, as well as cars skidding on the roads and the possibility of structures collapsing.
At 8.01am, a report was filed to fire officials from Dong-gu in Incheon claiming that a traffic signal apparatus could fall due to the buildup of snow, prompting authorities to take safety measures. At 8.11am, another report was filed from Namdong-gu in Incheon regarding vehicles skidding due to icy roads.
With as much as eight-centimetres of snow expected to fall in Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Government stated yesterday that it had deployed 5,245 personnel and 1,493 pieces of snow removal equipment. Out of the 25 districts in Seoul, Seodaemun-gu in western Seoul saw the highest snowfall, with up to 5.1cm of accumulated snow.
According to the KMA, yesterday’s heavy snowfall was caused by warm southwesterly or westerly winds flowing between the high-pressure system to the south of Korea as well as the trough passing through the north, colliding with the cold air sitting over Korea.
