Worst November snowstorm in half century hits Seoul, grounds flights

emirates7 - Seoul experienced an unprecedented snowfall on Wednesday, with over 16 centimeters blanketing the city—marking the heaviest November snowfall since modern weather records began in 1907, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

By 7 a.m., the snow accumulation in the capital reached 16.5 cm, surpassing the previous record of 12.4 cm set on November 28, 1972, reported Yonhap News Agency.

Nationwide, snow and rain are expected to persist through Thursday morning, with precipitation continuing into the afternoon in parts of Gangwon Province and North Gyeongsang Province. In the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces, as well as Jeju Island, weather disruptions are forecast to last until late Friday night.

In Seoul's Seongbuk district, a power outage impacted more than 170 households at 5:30 a.m., likely caused by trees collapsing onto telegraph poles and power lines under the weight of the heavy snow, as reported by the Korea Electric Power Corporation.

The snowstorm also caused significant travel disruptions. By 1 p.m., 40 flights had been canceled, and 180 were delayed at airports nationwide, including 75 at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, according to the Korea Airports Corporation and Incheon International Airport Corporation. Additionally, operations of 96 passenger ferries across 74 routes were suspended, and access to seven national parks, including Mount Bukhan and Mount Seorak, was restricted.

In response to the severe weather, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety upgraded the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to Level 2 by 2 p.m. and elevated the heavy snow warning from "caution" to "alert" status.