SEOUL — South Korea experienced a sharp drop in temperatures on Saturday, marking the traditional seasonal turning point of Ipdeong (the beginning of winter).

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), morning lows plummeted to between -5 and 5 degrees Celsius nationwide, while daytime highs ranged from 8 to 14 degrees. These figures are significantly lower than the historical averages for this time of year, as a mass of cold air swept in from the northwest.

In Seoul, the morning low dropped to -1 degree Celsius, with the high reaching 9 degrees. Due to strong, chilly winds, the perceived morning temperature in the capital felt as low as -5 degrees. Other metropolitan areas, including Incheon and Suwon, saw morning lows hovering around -1 degree.

Inland Gangwon Province experienced freezing conditions, with morning temperatures plunging between -5 and -3 degrees, while mountainous regions like Daegwallyeong dipped to -5 degrees. Most regions across the country faced wide daily temperature ranges of 10 to 15 degrees, with frost and thin layers of ice forming in central regions, eastern Jeollabuk-do, and inland Gyeongsang provinces.

Gusty winds continued through Saturday morning, with wind speeds reaching up to 15 meters per second in many areas, and exceeding 25 meters per second in the northern mountainous regions of Gangwon. Coastal waters experienced high waves ranging from 1.5 to 3.5 meters, while some distant waters off the east coast saw waves surging over 5.0 meters. Despite the chilly weather, nationwide fine dust levels remained at "good."

Meanwhile, skies are expected to turn cloudy on Sunday, November 8. Rain is forecast to begin in northern Incheon, northern Gyeonggi Province, and inland northern Gangwon around late morning, before expanding to Seoul, the wider metropolitan area, and northern Chungcheong Province by the afternoon.

Precipitation is expected to remain light, with around 5 millimeters for the capital area and less than 5 millimeters for Gangwon and northern Chungcheong. High-altitude mountainous regions in Gangwon exceeding 1,000 meters above sea level may see about 1 centimeter of snow accumulation. Sunday morning lows are projected between -1 and 6 degrees, with daytime highs reaching 7 to 15 degrees.

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