(LEAD) First frost of season spotted in Seoul as chilly weather continues

All News 11:35 October 18, 2021

(ATTN: ADDS more info in paras 2-3, 8-9)

SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- The first frost of the season was observed in Seoul on Monday as unseasonably cold weather continued for most parts of the country in the morning, the state weather agency said.

Morning lows ranged from minus 4 C to 5 C across the country, compared with Sunday's minus 2.6 C to 6.7 C, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.

The morning low came in at 2.8 C in Seoul, 4.2 C in Incheon, 2 C in Daegu and 7.1 C in Busan.

Several southern cities and counties experienced record-low temperatures for mid-October, with the mercury dropping to 2.7 C in Gunsan and 1.1 C in Suncheon and Gyeongju.

People walk in central Seoul on Oct. 18, 2021, as unseasonably cold weather continued in the morning. (Yonhap)

The first frost of this fall was spotted in Seoul and nearby Suwon, the agency said.

The weather is expected to warm up in the afternoon as the cold front weakens and warm southerly winds prevail.

Daytime highs are forecast to range from 13 C to 19 C, lower than the average of 19 C to 22.5 C but higher than Sunday's 10.2 C to 16.7 C, the KMA said.

On Sunday, the morning low in Seoul was 1.3 C, the lowest for mid-October since 1957, and some other parts of the country saw the lowest-ever temperatures for the time of the year.

The season's first ice was seen in the capital on Sunday, 17 days earlier than average.

The unseasonable cold snap is expected to continue through this week, the agency said.