Heavy rain, cold spell expected until Wed.

After weeks of mild spring weather, thunder, storms and even snowfall are expected this week on the Korean Peninsula, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Monday.

According to its weekly forecast, rain will pour across the nation by Tuesday, drawing up to 80 millimeters of rainfall in Gangwon and North Gyeongsang Provinces while smaller amounts are expected in other regions, including Seoul.

In the mountainous areas of northern Gyeongsang Province, the mercury will fall into subzero ranges, restoring the cold winter weather once again. In the northeastern part of the country, the rain will turn into snow, marking more than 30 centimeters in several places.

A high seas watch was posted on the West Sea as of noon Monday, halting ferry operations between Incheon and Baegnyeong Island and between Incheon and Yeonpyeong Island. As the rain is expected to pound the region harder, the local authorities are considering banning all sea transport. The same warning was posted for the East Sea later in the afternoon.

In North Korea, the low atmospheric pressure has led the whole nation to come under the influence of severe rainfall and strong winds as well as thunder in some regions.

In Hamgyeong, massive amounts of rain and snow are expected in the mountainous area, with the temperature reaching a high of 11 degrees Celsius.

The fickle weather is due to the low atmospheric pressure moving from the northeastern part of the globe that comes with cold air. The warm atmosphere near the earth clashed with the coldness high up in the air, resulting in the rather unstable climatic condition, the KMA said.

“We will see thunder and lightening in the east coastal area alongside some strong winds. Yellow dust is also expected in South Jeolla and Jeju regions,” the weather agency said in a press release.

The cold spell is forecast to end around Wednesday, when the temperature is expected to recover 17 degrees during daytime.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)