Climate change is behind increase of heavy snow, say experts
Most parts of South Korea were blanketed with snow Wednesday morning, which turned to rain in some areas by the afternoon, continuing this winter’s pattern of intermittent snowy days.
In the Jeolla, Gyeongsang and Chungcheong provinces, where a heavy snow advisory was issued early Wednesday morning and lifted in the afternoon, the snow transformed their hills and cityscapes into a white spectacle.
Wednesday's snowfall occurred less than a week after the snowfall of Feb. 6-7, during which up to 8 centimeters of snow per hour fell in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, while the Chungcheong provinces and Jeju Island saw up to 20 cm of snow.
The frequent heavy snow is mainly due to the cold wave caused by the Arctic Oscillation, a climate phenomenon characterized by fluctuations in air pressure between the Arctic region and the mid-latitudes, the national weather agency explained.
As cold air masses from the Arctic frequently spilled out into lower latitudes and combined with moisture in the atmosphere, snowstorms increased.
The recent heavy snowstorm is believed to have been largely influenced by a low-pressure system, known as a "cut-off low," which developed in the mid-latitudes as cold air from the Arctic moved southward.
Climate change is another catalyst for the increased heavy snow.
Rising sea surface temperatures due to global warming have caused a higher amount of moisture to evaporate from the ocean each year, which has expedited the formation of snow clouds worldwide, officials said.
Not only South Korea but also neighboring countries Japan and Taiwan have been struggling with severe snowstorms and cold this winter, even resulting in fatalities.
On Tuesday, Aomori prefecture, the northernmost prefecture on Japan's largest island of Honshu, recorded 427 cm of accumulated snow. A total of seven older residents in their 60s to 90s across five prefectures -- Fukushima, Niigata, Toyama, Nagano and Fukui -- died while clearing snow, according to local news outlets.
The Japan Meteorological Agency announced, "The frequency of heavy snow in Japan increased by about 1.4 times from the previous year due to global warming."
Taiwan, located along the Tropic of Cancer and well-known for mild winter temperatures averaging around 15 degrees Celsius, saw temperatures drop to around 5 degrees Celsius in February. Authorities announced that 1,345 people have died due to the cold, partly due to the lack of heating systems in residential buildings.
Meanwhile, for South Korea, the cold weather is expected to let up starting from Thursday and no severe cold waves appear to be in store for the time being, the KMA forecast.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
