On tomorrow, the first day of the new year (the 1st), the country will be mostly clear, but as cold air moves down from the northwest, temperatures will drop sharply and it will be very cold.
On the morning of the 1st, lows are forecast at -16 to -4 C, with highs at -6 to 3 C. That is about 5 C lower than the average (low -11 to 0 C, high 1 to 9 C).
Morning lows by major area are forecast at Seoul -11 C, Incheon -11 C, Suwon -12 C, Chuncheon -16 to -12 C, Gangneung -9 to -6 C, Daejeon -12 C, Sejong -12 C, Jeonju around -10 C, Gwangju -10 to -3 C, Daegu around -10 C, Busan -4 C, Ulsan -6 C, and Jeju 0 to 2 C. Some parts of the Gangwon mountains may drop to -17 C.
Daytime highs are forecast at Seoul -4 C, Incheon -4 C, Suwon -3 C, Daejeon -1 C, Sejong -2 C, Gwangju around 1 C, Busan 2 C, Ulsan 1 C, and Jeju 3 to 8 C. The Gangwon interior and mountains will remain between -7 and -3 C, and most areas nationwide will stay below freezing.
In particular, with cold wave advisories in effect for the Gyeonggi interior; the Gangwon interior and mountains; and the northeastern North Gyeongsang interior and mountains, morning temperatures in most areas nationwide will fall to around -10 C (around -15 C in some inland areas). Winds will be strong, making it feel even colder, so take extra care with health management and preventing facility pipes from freezing.
Skies will be mostly clear nationwide, so most areas will be able to see the first sunrise of the new year. However, the Jeolla region will see many clouds and Jeju Island will be cloudy, so the Jeolla west coast and Jeju may see the sunrise through breaks in the clouds or find it difficult to view. From tomorrow night, some areas of the Jeolla west coast and Jeju Island will see snow.
According to the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), sunrise times at major locations are 7:40 a.m. in Gangneung, 7:32 a.m. in Busan, 7:36 a.m. in Daegu, 7:41 a.m. in Jeonju, 7:41 a.m. in Gwangju, 7:42 a.m. in Daejeon, 7:42 a.m. in Cheongju, 7:47 a.m. in Seoul, and 7:38 a.m. in Jeju.
Fine dust levels will be at a "good" level across all regions due to smooth atmospheric dispersion.
Waves will run 0.5 to 2.0 m off the east coast, 0.5 to 2.5 m off the west coast, and 0.5 to 1.5 m off the south coast. In the open sea, wave heights will be very high at 1.0 to 4.0 m in the East Sea, 1.0 to 3.5 m in the West Sea, and 1.0 to 3.0 m in the South Sea, so vessels sailing or operating should use caution.
Along the east coast, long-period swells may drive high waves strongly onto beaches or over breakwaters, so be cautious of coastal safety accidents.