Freezing cold forecast during New Year holidays

The new year is expected to started amid a cold snap and snow.

The minimum temperature in Seoul today is expected to fall below minus 13 degrees Celsius, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

The cold weather will continue throughout New Year`s holidays until Sunday and snow is to be expected in central areas. The daytime temperature, both on Saturday and Sunday, will stay below zero in most region, officials said.

Some regions may expect snowfall on Saturday but the New Year`s Day sun was expected to be clearly visible today, with little cloud coverage over the nation.

The cold is an extension from that of Thursday, the last day of 2009, when morning lows reached minus 12.8 degrees Celsius, which was the lowest recorded this winter. Amid strong winds and snow in Western regions, the wind chill temperature was even lower, close to minus 20 degrees Celsius.

The KMA advised that citizens protect themselves against the cold and snow when outside.

(tellme@heraldm.com)



By Bae Hyun-jung