The cold snap that began on the 3rd, the first day of spring, has lasted for a week, causing the Han River to freeze. This is the first freezing of the Han River this winter. This year, it froze later than ever since records began.
The Korea Meteorological Administration announced on the 9th that the Han River has frozen for the first time this winter (December 2024 to February 2025). The Korea Meteorological Administration determines that the Han River has frozen when a rectangular area, set 100 meters upstream between the second and fourth piers of the Han River Bridge connecting Dongjak and Yongsan districts, is completely covered in ice and the water is no longer visible.
This year's freezing date of the Han River is 30 days later than the average (January 10) and 14 days later than last winter (December 2023 to February 2024). It is the second-latest since records began, following 1964 (February 13). The earliest freezing occurred in 1934, on December 4.
The Han River freezes when the lowest temperature in Seoul remains below minus 10 degrees Celsius for more than five days, and the highest daily temperature also remains below zero. Recently, the lowest temperatures in Seoul from the 4th to the 8th ranged from minus 11.8 to minus 11.5 degrees, while the highest temperatures ranged from minus 5.3 to 0.2 degrees. On that day, the lowest temperature in Seoul was minus 9.6 degrees.
This year, there were forecasts that the Han River would not freeze due to milder days except around New Year's and the Lunar New Year. Since records began, the Han River has not frozen in winter on nine occasions to date. The years where winter began without freezing are 1960, 1971, 1972, 1978, 1988, 1991, 2006, 2019, and 2021.
Observations of the freezing of the Han River began in 1906. At that time, observations were made at Nodeul (Noryangjin) Ferry, one of the major ferries on the Han River. The bridge built there is the Han River Bridge. It has been about 120 years since observations have been made at the same location.
However, as the structure of the Han River has changed, it shows a tendency to freeze 'later and shorter' compared to the past. Reasons include deepening of the riverbed and reduced bottom changes due to the Second Comprehensive Han River Development Project in the 1980s, and rising winter temperatures due to climate change.