Winter solstice brings heavy snowfall and cold spell, caution against icy roads

[Anchor]

Today (Dec. 21), which is the winter solstice, various places saw up to 10cm of heavy snow.

There were also a series of traffic accidents due to the snowy roads, and a cold wave is expected to hit overnight, making tomorrow (Dec. 22) even colder.

Please be careful on icy roads.

This is Shin Bang-sil, a meteorological specialist.

[Report]

In the early dawn, before the darkness lifted, snow is falling in downtown Seoul.

People are hurrying along with umbrellas, and snow removal operations are in full swing on the streets.

A fierce snowstorm is raging at the peak of Daegwallyeong, and heavy snow is coming down in Jirisan as well.

Throughout the day, around 10cm of snow fell mainly in the central inland and Jeonbuk regions, leading to a series of traffic accidents on snowy roads.

Around 1:20 PM, five vehicles were involved in a collision pile-up at the entrance of Soyang 1 Tunnel on the Saemangeum Port Expressway in Wanju, Jeonbuk, resulting in two people being taken to the hospital.

Around 9:30 AM, a van and a cargo truck collided on the Daejeon-Tongyeong Expressway in Jangsu, Jeonbuk, injuring two people.

In the Chungcheong and southern inland regions, up to 1cm of snow is expected until tonight, and along the southwestern coast of Jeonnam, an additional 1 to 5cm of snow will fall by tomorrow morning.

A cold wave warning has also been issued for the northeastern Gyeonggi, Gangwon Yeongseo, and Chungbuk regions.

[Kong Sang-min/Meteorological Administration Forecast Analyst: "From Sunday, a strong northwesterly wind accompanied by cold air is expected to accelerate the drop in temperature, especially in the morning and evening. The perceived temperature will be even lower...."]

Tomorrow morning's temperatures are expected to drop by as much as 10 degrees compared to today, with Daegwallyeong at minus 13 degrees and Seoul at minus 6 degrees.

Even during the day, temperatures are expected to stay around 0 degrees, so please be cautious of falls on icy roads and black ice.

This cold spell will continue until next Tuesday, Christmas Eve, before easing.

However, the cold will periodically intensify, and a cold wave is expected to arrive at the end of the year as we approach the New Year.

This is KBS News, Shin Bang-sil.