Seoul records early first snow as Gangwon mountains turn wintry

A heavy snow advisory was issued and later lifted in Inje, while the forecast warned of freezing mornings inland.

Channel: MBCNEWS ·

South KoreaStory of November 10, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of MBCNEWS's most watched videos since yesterday, with 853,786 views.

MBCNEWS: The news division of MBC, a publicly owned South Korean broadcaster. 6.2M subscribers and 32B views.

서울 첫눈·강원 대설주의보‥내일 아침 영하권 (2026.11.09/뉴스투데이/MBC)

Seoul's first snow arrived nearly a month earlier than last year's, as snow and sleet also reached mountainous parts of northeastern South Korea.

South Korea's Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) reports that the capital's first official snowfall was observed 26 days earlier than last year and 12 days ahead of the seasonal average. Its November 9 report shows wintry conditions around Jeongseon and Hangyeryeong in Gangwon Province, where the mountains received the autumn's first heavy snow advisory. The advisory for the Inje mountain area was subsequently lifted.

The cold also caught hikers at Bukhansan National Park, which spans Seoul and neighboring Gyeonggi Province. Interviewee Lee Ji-hye describes putting on another layer after climbing into the cold and encountering some hail.

Reporter Shin Su-a explains the temperature drop through incoming cold air, using a graphic of a moving atmospheric trough. The accompanying forecast warned of below-freezing morning temperatures and ice in Gangwon's inland and mountain areas. Rain was also expected to spread across southern areas, including Jeju, South Jeolla and the Gyeongsang region.

A separate November 10 weather update from the broadcaster describes generally clear skies nationwide, but says cold mornings will persist through November 12, with a marked difference between morning and daytime temperatures.