Is South Korea under the strongest cold wave since the beginning of winter?
South Korea encountered the strongest cold wave since the beginning of winter on the 24th, with temperatures in many cities including Seoul reaching record lows. As demand for heating surges, South Korea's electricity distribution regulator issued "power conservation orders" to companies to ensure stable power reserves. The weather forecast released by the Korea Meteorological Administration on the morning of the 24th showed that the minimum temperature in Seoul that day was minus 15.9 degrees Celsius, the minimum temperature in Incheon was minus 15.1 degrees Celsius, and the minimum temperature in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province was 14.7 degrees Celsius, all setting the lowest values since this winter.
The lowest temperatures in southern areas such as Daegu, Pohang, Mokpo, and Gwangju are also below minus 10 degrees. Jeju Island, known as the "Hawaii of South Korea", has a minimum temperature of minus 1 degree Celsius, and there will also be snowfall. Due to strong winds, the body temperature was lower than forecast figures. It was minus 22.6 degrees in Seoul, minus 24.9 degrees in Incheon, and minus 21.2 degrees in Suwon. Daegwallyeong in Gangwon Province reached minus 35.8 degrees.
Most areas in South Korea have issued low temperature warnings. In Seoul, primary school students wore thick coats, hats, scarves and masks and braved the cold wind to go to school. However, this cold wave seems to have not frostbitten some people’s enthusiasm for “buy, buy, buy”. In Myeongdong, a bustling business district in the center of Seoul, many tourists continue to go shopping. The Korea Meteorological Administration predicts that the cold wave will continue until the weekend. The meteorological department reminded that people should be careful of slippery roads when going out, and agricultural departments should pay attention to preventing damage to crops.
Affected by the cold wave, South Korea’s nationwide electricity demand surged, reaching approximately 85 million kilowatt hours on the morning of the 24th. In order to reduce the power load, the Korea Electric Power Exchange issued a "power saving order" that day, requiring all companies to reduce electricity consumption from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. This is the third time since the beginning of winter this year that the Korea Electric Power Exchange has issued a "power saving order." According to this exchange, after the "power saving order" is issued, approximately 1,700 companies will save 2.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity. As of 9:30 a.m., the "power reserve rate" remained stable at 16%.