Heavy snow of over 40 cm blankets greater Seoul area for 2nd day
SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Yonhap) -- Heavy snow blanketed South Korea's capital area for the second consecutive day Thursday, with more than 40 centimeters of snowfall seen in Gyeonggi Province, surrounding Seoul.
A heavy snow advisory was in effect in most parts of Gyeonggi, while the advisory in Seoul was lifted in the morning as the accumulated snowfall reached 47.5 centimeters in Yongin, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul, 40.2 cm in Seoul's Gwanak Ward and 27.1 cm in Seoul's Seongbuk Ward.
On Wednesday, Seoul saw the heaviest November snowfall since modern weather observations began in 1907, with 16.5 cm of snowfall. The record coincided with the first snow of the season in the city.
Thursday's snowfall in Seoul was measured at 28.6 cm as of 8 a.m., which is rare not only for November but winter overall. The biggest snowfall on record based on standard measurements taken at the Seoul weather station in Jongno Ward was 31 cm on March 24, 1922.
Traffic was brought to a slowdown in Seoul and the surrounding capital region as authorities blocked entry to some roads, including in the eastern Gwangjin Ward, where a tree had fallen, apparently under the weight of snow.
The Korea Railroad Corp. said some subway lines were experiencing delays as workers removed snow and branches from tracks.
The company said it planned to put an additional 10 trains into operation on subway lines in the capital area, including Line 1 and the Gyeongui-Central Line, to ease congestion during the morning rush hour.
The Seoul metropolitan government said more than 11,000 personnel and nearly 20,000 pieces of equipment were mobilized to remove snow from roads.
On the subway, rush hour operations, when trains come in more frequent intervals, were extended by 1 hour from 7 a.m. until 10 a.m. in the morning.
According to authorities, 750 households in Seoul's northwestern Mapo Ward experienced blackouts in the morning, while 270 households in the same district suffered water outages as power lines snapped under the weight of fallen trees.
Some schools in Seoul and the surrounding region adjusted their hours or closed for the day. In Seoul, three schools closed while 27 others adjusted their hours, such as by delaying the start of the school day to 10 a.m. or 11 a.m., according to education authorities.
The heavy snow disrupted flights for a second day, with 114 international flights and 28 domestic flights canceled.
In Yongin, one man in his 60s died earlier in the day after being struck by a falling tree while removing snow.
On Wednesday, another person was killed under a collapsing structure while removing snow at a driving range in Pyeongtaek, some 65 km south of Seoul.
The snow is forecast to stop Thursday afternoon in Seoul, Incheon and northern Gyeonggi, and during the night in southern Gyeonggi and the inlands and mountainous regions of Gangwon.
Weather authorities said the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces will continue to see snow into Friday, while parts of Jeolla and Jeju Island will receive snow until early Saturday morning.
Heavy snow advisories remained in place in parts of the country outside the capital region, including Wonju and Hoengseong in Gangwon Province.
hague@yna.co.kr
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