Everyone dreams of a white Christmas. When people wake up on Christmas morning, they often wish for a beautiful, magical scene to be presented in front of their eyes, where everything is completely covered in white. This scenery is particularly special since we can only see it during the winter. Unfortunately, it is uncommon to see a large amount of snowfall on Jeju during the wintertime since Jeju is an island located in the south.
Last December, the amount of snowfall in Seoul was only 0.3cm which was the lowest amount of snowfall ever recorded in Korea. Officials from the Meteorological agency explained that this was mainly due to the unusually warm winter weather last year when the average temperature reached 3.5°C, which was 2.5 degrees higher than the average winter temperature in 2018. This increase in temperature has happened because since mid-December, the power of Siberian High pressure, which brings cool air in the southern direction, has weakened in Korea.
This winter is predicted to be a lot colder and drier than last winter with heavy snowfall centered around Korea’s west coast and Jeju island. The average temperature will range from 7°C to 8.2°C in November, 1°C to 2°C in December, and -1.6°C to 0.4°C in January. Jeju will receive more snowfall than Seoul, but the overall amount of snowfall or snowstorms will increase when compared to past years. Due to climate change, global warming has been worsening and has increased the amount of hot air in the atmosphere which turns into heavier precipitation in the form of more intense rain or snow.
As a response to this forecast, officials in Jeju have announced that in order to prepare for the mass amount of snowfall predicted to take place in Jeju, they will be establishing a response system for this matter that helps tourists on the island deal with problems such as accommodation, transportation, and air operation information in the event of flight suspension due to weather conditions, especially snow.
The answer to the question, will it snow this year, will certainly be a yes. However, it is important to remember that although snow may seem beautiful and pretty, you have to be careful of some of the dangerous risks that snow can bring. The danger of snowstorms and disasters from the mass amount of snow is increasing year by year, and it is always best to stay home if it seems to be snowing at an uncontrollable rate. Be safe, and stay warm!
Works Cited
“It’s Cold. Is Global Warming Really Happening?” Union of Concerned Scientists, 25, Feb. 2011, www.ucsusa.org/resources/its-cold-global-warming-really-happening.
“태풍·폭설시 발묶인 제주공항 체류객에 맞춤형 정보제공.” 강승남, 25 June 2020, www.news1.kr/articles/?3976386.
“역대 가장 따뜻했던 작년 겨울, 올 겨울엔 달라질까.” 이데일리, 8 Nov. 2020, www.edaily.co.kr/news/read?newsId=01820406625963752&mediaCodeNo=257&OutLnkChk=Y.
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