Morning lows of 0-9 degrees and afternoon highs of 15-19 degrees today, with a temperature swing of around 15 degrees in inland areas
Light rain in western metropolitan areas in the morning... additional inflow of Asian dust possible at night
Fine dust levels 'good to moderate' nationwide... temporary 'bad' levels possible in the metropolitan area and Chungnam at night
Morning lows of -2 to 4 degrees on the 7th (Ipdong)... weekend brings temperatures down by another 5-10 degrees
The morning commute turned to early winter overnight. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, as cold air from the northwest moved southward, the national morning low plummeted by 5 to 8 degrees compared to the previous day, dropping to between 0 and 9 degrees. Chuncheon recorded 0 degrees and Seoul 3 to 4 degrees, with frost forming in inland areas across the country. Ice also formed in eastern Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon inland and mountainous areas, Chungcheong inland, northeastern Jeonbuk, and northern Gyeonggi and northeastern mountainous areas of Gyeongbuk. This is a level that requires attention to prevent cold damage to crops.
Temperatures will rise during the day, with nationwide afternoon highs reaching 15 to 19 degrees, creating a temperature difference of around 15 degrees between day and night, centered around inland areas. With Seoul starting at 4 degrees in the morning and reaching 16 to 17 degrees in the afternoon, and Busan starting at 9 degrees and reaching 19 degrees, it is a day that requires different outfits for morning and afternoon. The weather will be mostly clear nationwide before clouds increase starting in the morning, and some light rain is expected in parts of western metropolitan areas including Seoul, Incheon, and the west coast of Gyeonggi during the morning. Expected precipitation is around 1 mm for Seoul, Incheon, and western Gyeonggi, and around 5 mm for Daecheongdo and surrounding islands. Drivers should exercise caution as thick fog with visibility of less than 200 meters is expected, particularly in inland Chungcheong and Gyeongsang provinces until 10 AM.
The fine dust situation is also challenging. The National Institute of Environmental Research forecasted the nationwide fine dust advisory level to be 'good' to 'moderate' for today, but while some Asian dust that originated from the Inner Mongolian plateau on the 31st of last month and flowed into the Korean Peninsula yesterday remains, there is a possibility that additional Asian dust will flow into western regions tonight. In this case, fine dust (PM10) concentrations could temporarily rise to 'bad' levels in the metropolitan area and Chungnam at night. Respiratory patients and infants are advised to avoid going out at night, and areas expecting Asian dust inflows should keep indoor ventilation brief.
The cold will intensify further over the weekend. Following rain on the 5th, centered mainly around the Chungcheong provinces, southern regions, and Jeju due to the influence of a low pressure system passing over the southern seas, cold air from the northwest will flow southward once again on the 7th, which marks Ipdong (the beginning of winter), sending morning temperatures down another 5 to 10 degrees compared to the previous day. The KMA forecasted morning lows on the 7th to range from -2 degrees to 4 degrees and afternoon highs from 7 to 13 degrees, which is significantly lower than average years (morning lows of 2-11 degrees, afternoon highs of 12-20 degrees). As this is a dry transitional season with large temperature swings, special attention is required for the health management of vulnerable groups and low-temperature crop management.