WeatherFanatics: Cold Wave Grips Beijing and Seoul, Brings Snow to Japan

Monday, December 1, 2014

Cold Wave Grips Beijing and Seoul, Brings Snow to Japan

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

December 1,2014; 9:47PM,EST

he coldest air since last winter is descending upon northeastern Asia and will even trigger substantial sea-effect snow in northern Japan.

On the backside of the blizzard pounding places near the easternmost border of China and Russia, a dome of high pressure is expanding its frigid grip across northeastern Asia.
The high is bringing the coldest air since last winter to many communities, including Beijing, China, and Seoul, South Korea.
High temperatures in both Beijing and Seoul will be held to within a few degrees of freezing this week with lows dipping to around 8 below zero C (upper teens F).
Prior to this week, residents in both cities have not had to endure such chilly temperatures since February.

Occasional gusty winds, especially through midweek for Beijing, will create even lower AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures.
RELATED:
Detailed Forecast for Beijing, China
Detailed Forecast for Seoul, South Korea
Japan Weather Center
As the cold winds blow over the relatively warmer waters of the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan, sea-effect snow and squalls will persist in southwestern South Korea and along northern and western parts of Honshu and western Hokkaido in Japan through much of the week.
The mechanism behind sea-effect snow is similar to what triggers lake-effect snow downwind of the Great Lakes in the United States and Canada.
By the time this week ends and a pair of weather disturbances move through, the western slopes of the mountains in northern Honshu will be buried by a meter (3.3 feet) or more of snow. Travel in these communities will be brought to a standstill.

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