The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast on the 2nd that there will be heavy snow centered in the central region this weekend. Cold air from the north is expected to bring extreme cold, freezing the roads during the morning commute.
Snow or rain will fall sporadically in various parts of the country. In Jeju, there will be snow flurries of 0.1 cm or raindrops of 0.1 mm from dawn to morning on the 3rd, while the western coast of North Jeolla and the southern coast of South Chungcheong will experience this until the afternoon. The expected snowfall and precipitation are 1 cm and 1 mm, respectively. A largely clear day on the 4th will be followed by heavy snow advisories in the central region on the 5th. Snow will stop on the 6th but resume in Honam from the 7th to the 9th. It is expected to be similar to the more than 20 cm of snow that piled up in Honam at the end of last year.
A warm southwesterly wind blowing between a high-pressure system to the south and a low-pressure system to the north over the Korean Peninsula will rise over the cold air, forming a cloud band. The low-pressure system will move out to the East Sea, causing the snow and rain to stop. Subsequently, an expanding cold continental high-pressure system will have a cold northwesterly wind passing over the warm West Sea, forming a cloud band again.
The extreme cold will also hit next week. Morning lows will range from -12°C to 1°C on the 3rd and 4th, from -6°C to 2°C on the 5th, and from -3°C to 3°C on the 6th. From the 7th to the 12th, morning temperatures will drastically drop to between -14°C and 1°C. The Korea Meteorological Administration noted that "especially on the 8th and 9th, a cold wave advisory will be issued centered on the inland areas of the central region due to the severe cold."