MOTIVATION
On March 17th at 11 PM, heavy snow advisory was issued nationwide ahead of the vernal equinox. In particular, this is the latest heavy snow advisory issued in Seoul since observations began. The average temperature in Seoul, which had been at 12.6℃ until the 15th, showed a downward trend, recording 4.9℃ on the 16th, 2.5℃ on the 17th, and 2.1℃ on the 18th. The effects continued until the 19th, and the average temperature recovered to 8.2℃ on the 20th. In terms of daily precipitation, 9.9mm was recorded on the 18th, which is the highest daily precipitation from December of last year.
The sudden heavy snow advisory caused citizens to put on their winter coats again, and they experienced traffic congestion and rear-end collisions. Meanwhile, local governments preparing for spring flower festivals were put on emergency alert as the blooming season was delayed due to heavy snow. The after-effects of the heavy snow advisory issued in mid-March are expected to last longer than a day.
The WAF 5 team will analyze weather maps, satellite images, radar images, and adiabatic lines for Seoul from March 16 to March 22, 2025 to identify changes in barometers, clouds, precipitation, and temperature, and explore the cause of the heavy snow advisory on March 17 and the subsequent chain of effects. This is expected to contribute to improving the accuracy of predictions for cold waves and heavy snow in spring and to understand the mechanisms of occurrence of abnormal weather phenomena. Furthermore, it is expected that the early detection capability of unusual weather phenomena will be improved, thereby improving the accuracy of forecasts.
In particular, the results of this project are expected to provide basic data for understanding the chain reaction of synoptic-scale phenomena such as Arctic cold waves, jet streams, and polar cyclones, and for weather forecasting systems. In addition, it is expected to contribute to establishing forecasting guidelines and climate change adaptation measures through research on changes in the frequency and intensity of spring cold waves and heavy snowfall. In addition, it will be possible to realize intuitive delivery of complex weather information by making this web page.