More than 20 cm of snow is forecast to fall in Gangwon through the 13th. After a round of mixed snow and rain passes along the east coast, early spring weather with large day-to-night temperature swings is expected to continue starting this weekend.
The Korea Meteorological Administration said at its regular forecast briefing on the 12th that snow or rain is expected along the east coast starting this afternoon. With cold air moving in aloft, it noted that some areas could see graupel along with thunder and lightning.
Precipitation is expected to continue mainly along the east coast through the 13th. In the mountains, snow will fall at 1–3 cm per hour, and some areas could see heavy snow of up to about 5 cm per hour.
Expected precipitation is around 1 mm in eastern South Jeolla and North Jeolla, 1 mm in Daejeon, Sejong, southeastern inland South Chungcheong, and North Chungcheong, 5 mm in Daegu, inland North Gyeongsang, and South Gyeongsang, 5–10 mm in Busan and Ulsan, and 5–20 mm along the Gangwon east coast, mountains, Ulleung Island, and Dokdo.
Expected snowfall is 5–15 cm in the Gangwon mountains, with some areas likely to see more than 20 cm. The Gangwon east coast is expected to see 1–3 cm, Ulleung Island and Dokdo 3–8 cm, the northern east coast of North Gyeongsang less than 1 cm, and the northeastern mountains of North Gyeongsang 1–5 cm.
The Korea Meteorological Administration said, "In the Gangwon region, a large amount of snow has already accumulated, so extra caution is needed to prevent safety accidents due to additional snowfall."
Over the weekend, as a northern high pressure system moves over the Yellow Sea, the Korean Peninsula is expected to see early spring weather. Next week, skies nationwide will be mostly clear or at times mostly cloudy.
Temperatures are expected to be around normal. In Seoul next week, morning lows will be 3–5 degrees, with afternoon highs of 12–13 degrees. Daytime highs will rise above 10 degrees in central regions and above 15 degrees in southern regions. However, the daily temperature range is expected to widen to around 10 degrees.
In the morning, with low temperatures and weakening winds, frost is possible. The Korea Meteorological Administration warned, "As daytime temperatures rise and the air becomes dry, the risk of wildfires could increase."