By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter


Snow or rain is forecast to fall in parts of the peninsula over the weekend, making it hard to observe the sunrise of the New Year.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) predicted on Friday that snow or rain will begin to fall on southern parts of the nation Saturday and continue nationwide Sunday.

About 1-3 centimeters of snow will fall on the mountainous areas of Cheju Island and Cholla provinces Saturday.

About 5 millimeters of rain are forecast for the southern parts of the peninsula with 5-10 mm of rainfall predicted on other parts of Cheju Island.

On New Year’s Day, rainy and snowy weather is expected to prevail nationwide, according to the KMA.

``As the cloudy and snowy weather is forecast nationwide, especially in mountainous and coastal areas of Kangwon Province and Cheju Island, people will hardly be able to see the first ray of the New Year’s sunrise,’’ a KMA official said.

Morning lows will hover around minus 12 to 2 degrees Celsius nationwide Saturday. The mercury will fall to minus 4 degrees Celsius in Seoul and Inchon, minus 6 degrees in Suwon and minus 9 degrees in Chunchon.

Kangnung is expected to record minus 1 degrees Celsius with Chongju having minus 6 degrees and Taejon recording minus 5 degrees.

Morning lows are expected to plunge to minus 4 degrees Celsius in Chonju, minus 5 degrees in Kwangju and minus 2 degrees in Taegu.

On Sunday, morning lows are expected to stand at minus 2 degrees in Seoul, minus 3 degrees in Chongju and Taejon, minus 4 degrees in Suwon, minus 7 degrees in Chunchon.

Midday highs will be 3 degrees in Seoul and Suwon, 4 degrees in Chongju, 5 degrees in Taejon, 6 degrees in Kangnung and Kwnagju, 7 degrees in Pusan, and 8 degrees on Cheju Island.

chungay@koreatimes.co.kr