SEOUL, 27th November, 2024 (WAM) -- More than 16 centimetres of snow blanketed the capital city of Korea, Seoul, on Wednesday, marking the biggest snowfall in November since modern weather observations began in 1907, the state weather agency said.
As of 7 am, Seoul had received 16.5 cm of snow, topping the previous record of 12.4 cm on 28th November 1972, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
Snow and rain are forecast nationwide until Thursday morning, though the precipitation will continue into the afternoon in parts of Gangwon Province and North Gyeongsang Province and until late Friday night in the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces and on Jeju Island.
More than 170 households experienced a blackout in Seoul's Seongbuk district at 5:30 am, as trees likely fell on telegraph poles and electric wires under the weight of heavy snow, according to the Korea Electric Power Corp.
As of 1 pm, 40 flights had been cancelled and 180 flights delayed at airports nationwide due to the snow, including 75 flights at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, according to the Korea Airports Corp. and Incheon International Airport Corp.
The operations of 96 passenger ferries on 74 routes were halted nationwide, and entry to seven national parks, including those in Mount Bukhan and Mount Seorak, was restricted.
As of 2 pm, the interior ministry had upgraded the operations of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to Level 2 and raised the heavy snow warning from "caution" to "alert".