Cold wave grips South Korea as temperatures plunge below -10C

People dressed in thick winter gear walk in Gwanghwamun, downtown Seoul, on Thursday (Yonhap)

The season’s coldest weather gripped South Korea on Thursday with temperatures plunging below minus 10 C in Seoul and the northern regions.

As of 8 a.m. the lowest temperature in Seoul was minus 10.2 C and the lowest apparent temperature minus 16.7 C, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

A cold wave advisory took effect for all of Seoul at 9 p.m. the previous day. An advisory is issued when a morning low of minus 12 C or less is expected for two or more consecutive days.

READ: Heavy snow blankets S. Korea’s wider Seoul, eastern region; alert issued

The lowest temperatures in other regions ranged from minus 16.9 C in the Daegwallyeong mountain pass in Gangwon Province to minus 13.6 C in Cheorwon and minus 13 C in Cheonan.

Further south, temperatures fell to as low as minus 6.8 C in Gwangju, minus 6.1 C in Ulsan and minus 4.7 C in Busan.

“The temperature fell below minus 20 C in parts of the mountainous regions of Gangwon, while in the central region, the eastern area of North Jeolla Province and the northern inlands of North Gyeongsang Province, it ranged from minus 15 C to minus 10 C, and in the rest of the country it fell to minus 5 C,” the KMA said.

READ: S. Korea to see winter’s coldest temperatures Thursday

“Many parts of the country recorded their lowest temperatures of this winter,” it added.

The cold snap is expected to continue for some time, with Thursday’s daily high forecast to range from 3 C to 11 C and most of the country seeing subzero temperatures all day.

The South Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces, as well as the mountainous areas of Jeju Island, are forecast to receive snow for the fourth consecutive day, with up to 5 centimeters of snow per hour at times. (Yonhap)