Unseasonal snowfall covers mountains in Gangwon Province

SEOUL, April 30 (Yonhap) -- Unseasonal snowfall blanketed mountainous areas of Gangwon Province, east of Seoul, on Friday, the last day of April usually known in South Korea as a season of early summer-like warm weather.

Late-night rain turned into snow in the Gangwon mountains 1,300 meters above sea level early Friday morning, with 15 centimeters of snow recorded on and around the peak of Mount Seorak, about 200 kilometers east of Seoul, as of 9 a.m., according to national park officials there.

Similar amounts of snow also piled up on other renowned Gangwon mountains, such as Mount Balwang and Mount Odae, offering unseasonal winter scenery, they said.

Gangwon's non-mountainous areas were drenched in rain, with precipitation reaching 29 mm in the eastern coast city Gangneung, 28 mm in the northeastern border county Hwacheon, 23.7 mm in Hongcheon and 22.2 mm in Sokcho, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

In the central city Daejeon and surrounding South Chungcheong Province, meanwhile, strong winds caused about 100 cases of property damage overnight.

Strong winds blowing at the maximum instantaneous speed of over 20 mps caused destruction of outdoor signboards, building structures and street trees early Friday morning, but no casualties were reported.

Elsewhere in the country, the KMA forecast scattered rain and cloudy weather over the weekend, with daily highs ranging from 14 C to 22 C.

ycm@yna.co.kr
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