During the Lunar New Year holiday, tourists bundle up near Gyeongbokgung in Seoul on Jan. 30. (Yonhap)
During the Lunar New Year holiday, tourists bundle up near Gyeongbokgung in Seoul on Jan. 30. (Yonhap)

South Korea is expected to endure a cold snap throughout the week, according to the weather forecast released on Sunday.

The Korea Meteorological Administration predicted that morning temperatures on Monday will range from minus 10 Celsius to 2 C, with daytime highs ranging from minus 4 C to 6 C.

From Tuesday on, temperatures are expected to drop further. Morning lows will range from minus 15 C to minus 5 C, with daytime temperatures between minus 5 C and 5 C.

According to the forecast, the cold weather could begin to ease from Thursday.

"Temperatures are expected to return to seasonal averages starting from Feb. 6, but there is still significant uncertainty," the agency said.

The primary cause of the cold is, according to the KMA, a ridge of high pressure over Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, which is blocking the jet stream that normally moves rapidly from west to east in the upper atmosphere north of South Korea. As the jet stream is blocked, it meanders further south, allowing frigid air from higher latitudes to descend into mid-latitude regions, including South Korea.

The cold wave is expected to affect most of the country, with Jeju Island being the only area forecast to stay above freezing.

Monday marks “ipchun,” which is one of the 24 solar terms and signifies the onset of spring. It is likely that it will be the coldest ipchun day since 2018, when the nationwide average temperature was minus 7.5 C. That year, the lowest recorded temperature was minus 11 C while the highest was minus 3.3 C.


shinjh@heraldcorp.com