Subzero cold to grip Korea this weekend
0 
0 
Pedestrians walk on a street in central Seoul, bracing themselves against winds, Friday. Yonhap
Temperatures in Seoul will drop below zero this weekend as early winter sets in, with strong winds sweeping much of the country Saturday and rain forecast for central regions Sunday.
Saturday’s morning lows nationwide will range from minus 5 degrees to 5 degrees Celsius, with daytime highs of 8 to 14 degrees, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Friday. Both are below the seasonal norms of 2 to 11 degrees and 13 to 20 degrees, respectively.
Cold air moving in from the northwest is expected to bring subzero temperatures, mainly to the central region, eastern North Jeolla Province and inland Gyeongsang areas. The weather agency issued cold alerts for these regions.
Seoul’s morning lows are forecast to be minus 1 degree, but chilly winds will drive Seoul’s wind chill to around minus 5 degrees. Daytime highes are expected to rise to 9 degrees. Incheon will have temperatures ranging from minus 1 degrees to 8 degrees and Suwon in Gyeonggi Province from minus 1 to 9 degrees.
Inland areas of Gangwon Province will see lows of minus 5 to minus 3 degrees and highs of 8 to 10 degrees. Mercury in mountain towns such as Daegwallyeong and Taebaek will dip to minus 5 to minus 4 degrees, with highs of 6 degrees. The province’s east coast will see milder weather, at 1 to 3 degrees in the morning and 11 to 12 degrees during the day.
The gap between daytime and nighttime temperatures will widen to 10 to 15 degrees in most parts of the country. Ice and frost may form mainly in the central region, eastern North Jeolla Province and inland areas of the Gyeongsang provinces.
Strong winds will lash most of the country through Saturday morning, with gusts of around 15 meters per second and over 25 meters per second in the northern mountains of Gangwon Province.
Skies will turn mostly cloudy nationwide Sunday. Rain will start in the morning in Incheon, northern Gyeonggi Province and inland areas of northern Gangwon Province. In the afternoon, it will spread to the greater Seoul area, across Gangwon Province and into northern parts of the Chungcheong provinces.
The greater Seoul area is forecast to get around 5 millimeters, while Gangwon Province and northern parts of the Chungcheong provinces will see less than 5 millimeters. About 1 centimeter of snow may accumulate on peaks above 1,000 meters in Gangwon Province. Sunday’s lows will range from minus 1 to 6 degrees, with highs of 7 to 15 degrees.
