On the 14th, the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the country will be mostly cloudy, with light rain in some areas and fine dust levels at "bad." Caution is also needed for traffic safety due to dense fog.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the country will be mostly cloudy, with the Chungnam region and the southern provinces gradually clearing from nighttime.
From morning through midday, less than 1 mm of light rain will fall in Incheon, northern Gyeonggi, and the northern inland of Gangwon. Due to a weak trough passing to the south, Jeju Island is also expected to see around 1 mm of rain from morning to evening.
Elsewhere, scattered raindrops may fall in the greater Seoul area, inland and mountainous Gangwon, the Chungcheong region, and the southern coast of Jeonnam. On the 15th, raindrops may be observed in most areas except the Gyeongsang region from predawn through the morning.
As moist air flows in along the edge of a high-pressure system located south of Korea, dense fog will form, mainly in the central region. In particular, until the morning, some areas of Incheon and Gyeonggi, inland and mountainous Gangwon, and the Chungcheong region will see dense fog with visibility under 200 meters, and other regions are also expected to have fog under 1 kilometer.
In colder areas, fog may freeze and create black ice on roads, so drivers heading to and from their hometowns should take extra care, including keeping sufficient distance between vehicles. Dense fog could also disrupt flight operations at airports, and at sea the fog is expected to continue through the morning of the 15th. Air and sea travelers should check operation information in advance.
The day's high will range from 9 to 17 degrees. On the 15th, morning lows will be minus 1 to 7 degrees, with daytime highs of 6 to 19 degrees.
Meanwhile, as westerly winds flow in, the air is drying out mainly east of the mountain ranges. A dry weather advisory is in effect for mountainous Gangwon and the east coast, and strong winds are expected to blow mainly along the Gangwon east coast and mountains and the northeastern mountains of North Gyeongsang through the 15th. As a small spark can grow into a large wildfire, take precautions to prevent fires.
Fine dust levels will be "very bad" in the greater Seoul area and Yeongseo, Gangwon, and "bad" in Yeongdong, Gangwon, the Chungcheong region, Gwangju, Jeonbuk, Daegu, and North Gyeongsang. Other regions are expected to range from "good" to "moderate." On the 15th, the greater Seoul area, Yeongseo, Gangwon, the Chungcheong region, Gwangju and Jeonbuk, and Yeongnam are also expected to see "bad" levels continue.