Record Snowfall Hurls Seoul Into Winter
Asia Pacific|Record Snowfall Hurls Seoul Into Winter
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/27/world/asia/snow-record-seoul.html
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The heaviest November snowstorm on record in the South Korean capital was a nuisance to commuters, and a delight to tourists, children and dogs.
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For many people in Seoul, a record November snowfall on Wednesday felt like a sudden plunge into winter, when days earlier they had been enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures.
Christine Domingo, 32, who was visiting from Manila, said she came to see the fall foliage, not expecting to experience winter. When she realized it had snowed on the final day of her 10-day trip, she put on three layers and set out for the base of Namsan, a scenic mountain peak in the heart of the city.
“We got both,” she said of the seasons after taking pictures with her sister and mother in front of a snowman someone else had made there. “It’s a one of a kind experience.”
By the time people woke up Wednesday, a storm had blanketed the city with the first snowfall of the season, the heaviest November snowfall in Seoul since records began in 1907.
About 6.5 inches of snow had fallen in the city by the morning, South Korea’s weather agency said. The last daily snowfall record for November, 4.9 inches, was set in 1972, said the Korea Meteorological Administration, the weather agency. The overall record for Seoul is more than four feet, set in 1969.
The snow began falling around midnight and piled up into the afternoon. A heavy snow warning was in effect throughout the capital, as parts of Seoul received as much as eight inches.