March snowfall brings S. Korea's latest-ever heavy snow advisory

A snow advisory was issued overnight as Seoul saw heavy snowfall a rare weather phenomenon in mid-March.

Ahn Sung-jin reports.

South Korea's spring seemed to have taken a hiatus.

With unexpected heavy snowfall covering the country starting late Monday, Seoul issued its latest-ever heavy snow advisory since 1999 when statistics first started to be compiled.

The advisory was lifted around 10 AM on Tuesday in most of the capital and surrounding areas.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heavy snow of more than 10cm was observed overnight across the metropolitan area area including Gyeonggi-do Province as well as parts in Gangwon-do and Chungcheong-do provinces up to Tuesday morning.

Following the heavy snowfall, Seoul's lowest temperature also dropped to zero but the feels-like temperature fell to sub-zero numbers.

It's not common to see this much snow in March.

The KMA noted that a low-pressure system formed by Arctic winds caused much of the heavy snow and strong gales.

The unprecedented snow caused travel disruptions and safety concerns with one subway line stopping services in the early hours of Tuesday, and more than 8 flights and around 90 passenger ships having their departures canceled or delayed.

In the early hours of Tuesday, a driver died in a car crash, with police pointing to a slippery road from the snow as the cause.

Though most of the snowfall is expected to stop by the end of the day, strong winds are expected to continue.

The government pledged to monitor and promptly respond to any incidents to prevent further accidents.

Ahn Sung-jin, Arirang News.