Rain and snow are expected nationwide over the weekend. Blizzard conditions are also forecasted in the Gangwon mountains and eastern Gyeonggi.
Starting early Saturday morning, the 15th, rain will begin in Jeju and the southern coast of South Jeolla Province and will spread to the southern coast of South Gyeongsang Province by the afternoon, and to the rest of Honam and South Gyeongsang Province by night. In higher mountainous areas, snow may fall instead of rain. By the morning of the 16th, precipitation will increase to the Seoul metropolitan area and Chungcheong Province. Rain or snow will fall nationwide from the afternoon into the night of the 16th.
In the Seoul metropolitan area, inland Gangwon, Chungcheong, northeastern Jeonbuk, and northwestern South Gyeongsang, there may be snow and rain until early morning on the 17th, while in the Gangwon mountains, eastern Gangwon, North Gyeongsang, Busan, Ulsan, and eastern inland South Gyeongsang, the precipitation may continue until the morning of the 17th. An area of low pressure will move south of Jeju, and moisture from the east will lead to considerable amounts of rain and snow.
Expected precipitation over the weekend includes 10 to 50 mm in Jeju, 10 to 40 mm in the Gangwon mountains and eastern coastline, 5 to 30 mm in Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang, 5 to 20 mm in inland Gangwon, southern South Jeolla, Daegu, and North Gyeongsang, and 5 to 10 mm in eastern Gyeonggi and Honam (excluding southern South Jeolla). In Seoul, Incheon, western Gyeonggi, the five islands of the west sea, Daejeon, Sejong, South Chungcheong, Ulleungdo, and Dokdo, around 5 mm is anticipated.
Snowfall is expected to be 10 to 20 cm (up to more than 30 cm) in the Gangwon mountains, 5 to 20 cm in the northeastern mountains of North Gyeongsang, 5 to 15 cm in inland southern Gangwon, 5 to 10 cm in inland northern North Gyeongsang, and 3 to 8 cm in eastern Gyeonggi and northern inland Gangwon (excluding mountainous areas) and northern Chungcheong. Moreover, 1 to 5 cm may accumulate in southern eastern coastal Gangwon, central and southern Chungcheong, northeastern Jeonbuk, and eastern South Jeolla, as well as in Daegu, southern inland North Gyeongsang, eastern coastal North Gyeongsang, Ulsan, and western inland South Gyeongsang, with around 1 cm expected in Seoul, northwestern inland Gyeonggi, southwestern inland Gyeonggi, Daejeon, Sejong, inland South Chungcheong, Ulleungdo, and Dokdo.
From early morning on the 16th, snowfall in the Gangwon mountains may reach 1 to 3 cm per hour. Notably, by night on the 16th, there could be a significant snowfall of more than 5 cm per hour, dubbed a "snow bomb." Starting from the afternoon of the 16th, 1 to 3 cm of snow may fall in the northeastern mountains of North Gyeongsang, and from the night of the 16th in eastern Gyeonggi, inland Gangwon, northern eastern Gangwon, northern inland Chungcheong, and northern inland North Gyeongsang. By early morning on the 17th, around 1 to 3 cm of snow may fall in central eastern Gangwon. As heavy and wet snow may accumulate in Gangwon, eastern Gyeonggi, northern Chungcheong, and northern North Gyeongsang until the 17th, precautions are advised.
The Korea Meteorological Administration noted, "Due to very slight temperature differences, areas of rain and snow may vary, and snowfall differences may occur within the same district." It urged the public to check the latest weather updates.
The temperature is expected to be 2 to 3 degrees higher than the average until the 15th, and by the morning of the 16th, it will be similar to the average temperature, with daytime temperatures falling below the average starting on the 16th. The low temperature on the morning of the 15th is forecasted to be between 1 and 9 degrees, while the high temperature during the day is expected to be between 10 and 16 degrees.
Expected low and high temperatures in major cities include 7 and 16 degrees in Seoul, 6 and 14 degrees in Incheon, 6 and 15 degrees in Daejeon, 7 and 14 degrees in Gwangju, 6 and 12 degrees in Daegu, 8 and 11 degrees in Ulsan, and 9 and 12 degrees in Busan. The expected lows and highs on the morning of the 16th are anticipated to be between 1 and 6 degrees and between 6 and 11 degrees. The temperature is projected to remain below average throughout the weekdays next week.
Strong winds are also expected nationwide over the weekend. In the central and mountainous areas of Jeju, gusts of wind over 70 km/h (90 km/h in Jeju mountains) are expected from the night of the 14th, along the southern coast of South Jeolla Province on the morning of the 15th, and in the western coastal areas of Chungcheong and Jeolla starting from the afternoon of the 16th. Other regions are expected to see gusts of around 55 km/h from the afternoon of the 16th.
The sea is also expected to be rough this weekend. Especially on the 16th, thunder and lightning along with strong winds will occur over much of the waters. Beginning from the afternoon of the 15th, swells will invade the eastern coast, causing waves to crash over rocks and breakwaters, so it is advised to avoid the coast as much as possible.