Alerts for possible traffic conflicts and frozen roads were released by authorities on Wednesday following the heavy snowfall in the capital and in the provinces of Gyeonggi and Gangwon, The Korea Herald reported.
These are the amount of snow received by some parts of the country as of 2:00 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration:
· Seoul – 3.5 centimeters
· Seoraksan, Gangwon Province – 18.5 centimeters
· Ulleung Island – 19.5 centimeters
In the afternoon, the heavy snow alert was lifted by the weather agency for Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. The alert means that snow of at least 5 centimeters was received in a day.
The agency said that 1 more centimeter of snow is expected by 6:00 p.m.
Some 9, 000 workers and 1, 200 cars to remove snow were deployed by the Seoul Metropolitan government. Added to these, other equipments were dispatched to main roads to prepare for the snowfall.
There were more than 2, 500 tons of de-icing agents used by the authorities to melt snow on the roads in the capital.
Additional buses and subway trains were also prepared to avoid possible traffic disturbance during the rush hour at night.
Drivers were encouraged to be careful in braving the weather as Seoul and other areas recorded minus 1 degree Celsius in daytime temperatures.
“I hope drivers pay special attention to traffic safety and pedestrian safety in snowy weather as visibility is short and there are many slippery places such as icy roads and bridges,” an Incheon Metropolitan City official said.
The southwestern Jeolla Provinces as well as the inland areas of southeastern Gyeongsang Provinces also experienced snow.
By Thursday afternoon, some parts of southern Jeju Island, the southern Ulleung Island, and the easternmost island of Dokdo can get up to 20 centimeters of snow.