Seoul sees 'heaviest November snowfall' in 117 years

Seoul saw 17 centimeters of snow, the heaviest snowfall in 117 years. This is the most snowfall accumulated on a single day in November since modern weather observation began in 1907 in Korea. Up to 30 centimeters more snow is forecast to fall nationwide through Thursday.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration Wednesday, 17.4 centimeters of snow, a record for daily new snowfall, had accumulated through 3 p.m. at the Jongno-gu Meteorological Observatory in Seoul. The previous record was 9.5 centimeters on November 20, 1966. At one point, 26.7 centimeters of snow accumulated in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. In addition to Seoul, heavy snowfall was reported across the country, including 27.4 centimeters of snow in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province.

A heavy snowfall warning was in effect in the Seoul metropolitan area. This is the first time a snowfall warning has officially been issued in Seoul in November. Up to 30 centimeters or more of snow is forecast to accumulate across the country through Thursday. Up to 20 centimeters or more of snow is expected in the Seoul metropolitan area. On Friday, additional snowfall is possible, with around 1 centimeter forecast in the Seoul metropolitan area and the Gyeongsang provinces, 1 to 3 centimeters in the Chungcheong provinces, and 1 to 5 centimeters in the Jeolla provinces.

Analysts say the unexpected heavy snowfall is due to the high sea surface temperature around the Korean Peninsula. “The ocean water temperature is about 2 degrees above normal, and as cold air from the north moved southward, a lot of water vapor entered the snow clouds,” said Jeong Soo-jong, a professor at Seoul National University's Graduate School of Environment. “The temperature also dropped sharply, creating a favorable environment for snow accumulation.”


Sung-Jin Park psjin@donga.com