SEOUL, Morning temperatures in Seoul fell to minus 14 C, with apparent temperatures of minus 21.7 C, on Tuesday as the latest cold wave continued to grip South Korea, grounding hundreds of flights countrywide.
The cold wave that struck the country the previous day continued to further freeze the nation, keeping daytime temperatures below freezing point in most regions, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
Temperatures in Seoul plunged to minus 13.9 C, with apparent temperatures of as low as minus 21.7 C, while surrounding cities Incheon and Suwon saw temperatures reach minus 13.1 C and minus 12.8 C, the KMA said.
The mercury also dipped to minus 13.4 C in the eastern city of Chuncheon as of 5 a.m. and minus 9.8 C in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung, while the central city of Daejeon recorded minus 12.2 C.
Highs ranged from around minus 9 C to 1 C nationwide.
A cold wave warning was in place in northern and eastern parts of Gyeonggi and most parts of Gangwon Province while Seo
ul and the wider capital region were under a cold wave watch.
Regions in South Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces and Jeju Island are predicted to see snowfall continue through Wednesday, with the amount of snowfall likely to reach up to 20 centimeters in parts of North Jeolla and up to 50 cm in some mountainous areas of Jeju by the following day.
Beginning in the evening, western coastal areas in southern parts of Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul and parts of South and North Gyeongsang Provinces may also experience mild snowfall, the weather agency said.
Heavy snow had grounded hundreds of flights across the nation, including more than 400 out of the 453 domestic and international flights to and from Jeju scheduled for Tuesday, according to government officials.
The previous day, 35 flights were canceled while 200 others were delayed on the southern resort island due to the heavy snowfall.
A total of 93 ferries on 71 water routes were also grounded, and authorities received 58 reports of frozen water m
eters from across the country.
The cold snap, combined with heavy snow, also forced two alpine skiing competitions to begin 30 minutes later than scheduled at the Winter Youth Olympics taking place in Gangwon.
Source: Yonhap News Agency