SEOUL: Morning temperatures in Seoul fell to -14 degrees Celsius (°C), with apparent temperatures of -21.7 °C today (January 23) as the latest cold wave continued to grip South Korea, grounding hundreds of flights countrywide.
The cold wave that struck the country the previous day continued to further freeze the nation, keeping daytime temperatures below freezing point in most regions, Yonhap news agency cited the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
Temperatures in Seoul plunged to -13.9 °C, with apparent temperatures of as low as -21.7 °C, while surrounding cities Incheon and Suwon saw temperatures reach -13.1 °C and -12.8 °C, the KMA said.
The mercury also dipped to -13.4 °C in the eastern city of Chuncheon as of 5 am.and -9.8 °C in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung, while the central city of Daejeon recorded -12.2 °C.
Highs ranged from around -9 °C to 1 °C nationwide.
Heavy snow had grounded hundreds of flights across the nation, including more than 400 out of the 453 domestic and international flights to and from Jeju scheduled for today (January 23), according to government officials.
The previous day, 35 flights were cancelled while 200 others were delayed on the southern resort island due to the heavy snowfall.
A total of 93 ferries on 71 water routes were also grounded, and authorities received 58 reports of frozen water metres from across the country.
The cold snap, combined with heavy snow, also forced two alpine skiing competitions to begin 30 minutes later than scheduled at the Winter Youth Olympics taking place in Gangwon.
Source: New Straits Times
