Cold wave alerts took effect in parts of Gangwon State on the 6th as morning temperatures dropped sharply across South Korea.
Cold air flowed in from the northwest along the edge of a high-pressure system over central China, prompting the season's first cold wave alert for mountainous areas of Gangwon State, including Taebaek and the Pyeongchang highlands. It was the earliest cold wave alert issued nationwide since 2005.
Clear skies overnight accelerated radiative cooling, pushing morning temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius inland and to around 15 degrees along the coast.
As of 8 a.m., temperatures in major cities hovered around 15 degrees: 15.3 degrees in Daegu, 15.2 in Busan, 14.2 in Ulsan, 14.0 in Incheon, 13.9 in Gwangju, 13.1 in Daejeon and 11.0 in Seoul. Gusts of about 55 kilometers per hour — 70 kilometers per hour in mountainous areas — added to the chill through the morning.
Daytime highs were forecast at 22 degrees in Seoul, 21 in Incheon, 21 in Suwon, 21 in Chuncheon, 21 in Gangneung, 22 in Cheongju, 21 in Daejeon, 23 in Jeonju, 23 in Gwangju, 23 in Daegu, 23 in Busan, 22 in Ulsan and 22 in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Fine dust levels were expected to be "good" in all regions.
With cold northerly winds continuing, morning temperatures on the 7th were expected to fall to between 2 and 14 degrees, with daytime highs of 21 to 25 degrees. On the 8th, morning lows were forecast at 2 to 16 degrees and highs at 23 to 26 degrees.
The gap between daytime and nighttime temperatures will widen to about 15 degrees nationwide through the 8th, the weather agency said.
At sea, winds of 30 to 60 kilometers per hour, or 8 to 16 meters per second, and waves of 1.5 to 3.5 meters were forecast through the 7th in waters off western Jeju, far-off seas near Jeju and the outer far-off seas of the eastern South Sea.
