S. Korea records first sub-zero temperature in June

By Park Sae-jin Posted : June 1, 2010, 16:04 Updated : June 1, 2010, 16:04
Unseasonably cold weather is gripping South Korea, with the mercury in its eastern mountainous region falling below zero Tuesday morning, the first freezing temperature recorded for June in the nation, weathermen said.

The weathermen said some mountainous regions of Gangwon Province, east of Seoul, reported ice and frost due to the sub-zero temperature, which was unprecedented at the beginning of the summer season here.

Daegwallyeong, a mountain pass near the province's coastal area, hit minus 1.7 C early Tuesday, a record low for June since the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) began its weather observation there in 1971.

The previous low for June in the high-altitude zone was set in 1989, when the mercury stood at 0.2 C, KMA officials said.

They attributed the unseasonably low temperature to a cold air mass in the upper air and cloudless nights that made it easier for the land surface to lose heat during the night.

Other mountainous regions in Gangwon Province also broke their previous lows for June earlier Tuesday. A daily low in Seoul stood at 14 C.//Yonhap


 

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