Introducton
Motivation & Goal
As making snowmen and snow ducks was on viral last winter, we wondered which type of snow is the most suitable for snowman building when analyzed in a meteorological aspect. Our goals are finding out which type of snow gathers well through researching and determining which day was more suitable for snowman building by analyzing the snow in Seoul of January 4, 2010 and January 12, 2021.
Heavy Snow on January 4, 2010
On January 4, 2010, heavy snow fell in the central part of Korea, including the capital city Seoul. This was a large amount of snow that was recorded by the Korea Meteorological Administration as abnormal weather. Up to 25.8cm of snow piled up in Seoul for a day, which was recorded as the biggest new snowstorm in the history of snow observation, surpassing 25.6cm on January 28, 1969.
The Historical Background of the Snow
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Before the heavy snow fell, around December 26, 2009, a climate pattern began to appear in the form of a periodic rotation of cold air mass around -40°C formed in Siberia, about 5km above the ground in northeastern China.
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As a result, the temperature reached -30°C over about 5km above ground in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, with morning lows below 0°C in the central part of the country, except Jeju Island and the southern coast.
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On January 4, 2010, the upper atmospheric pressure trough with very cold air around -40°C passed about 5km above the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, with cold air hovering around -30°C above the central region.
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At the same time, low pressure, which was approaching from central China's inland area, passed through the Yellow Sea, receiving a lot of water vapor and colliding with cold air in central Korea, causing a strong snow cloud.
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In particular, the continental high pressure expanded to the rear of this low pressure, bringing strong cold air into the capital area and Gangwon province, which are relatively north of the low pressure.
Heavy Snow on January 12, 2021
In early and mid-January 2021, it snowed unusually often, and the nation's average temperature was cold enough to be in the bottom 10th place of all time.
The Historical Background of the Snow
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This year, the Arctic temperature was high, weakening the jet stream in the upper atmosphere. As the jet stream weakens, the temperature variability in East Asia increases because cold air in the Arctic moves southward.
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The area of ice near the Barentsz-Kara Sea was small, with warm air mass located near the Ural Mountains.
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As a result, the cold north wind atmosphere was strengthened as the continental anticyclone developed in the northwest and the cyclone in the northeast along the border of Korea.