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| People watch snow cannons covering ski slopes with artificial snow at a ski resort in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, Sunday. Yonhap |
By Jung Min-ho
After a milder-than-normal November in Korea, a strong cold front is arriving this Wednesday.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration Monday, temperatures are forecast to drop below freezing in most parts of the country after rainfall on Monday and Tuesday.
Temperatures in Seoul are expected to plummet to as low as minus 8 degrees Celsius before falling slightly further the next day. Morning temperatures across the country, including southern regions, are forecast to be close to freezing for the coming week.
In areas such as Paju in northern Gyeonggi Province, temperatures are expected to reach as low as minus 13 degrees Celsius early Thursday morning.
The weather agency said it may issue cold wave warnings in many regions for Wednesday as its morning lows are expected to fall more than 15 degrees compared with Tuesday.
The first snow will likely fall in southern parts of the west coast and on Jeju Island off the south coast, it added.
The weather agency urged the public to take safety precautions as a sudden cold spell could make roads slippery after the rain.
Football fans are expected to turn out in large numbers to support the national team's World Cup matches on Monday (vs. Ghana) and Saturday (vs. Portugal) at official fan zones in big cities including Seoul. In a meeting held on Monday, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo instructed authorities to ensure adequate safety measures for the events.
As cold and powerful winds are expected for Wednesday, Han told officials to double-check the conditions of roads, bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure.
According to the weather agency, this month has so far been unusually warm, with average temperatures in some regions staying over 5 degrees higher than the previous year.
