Korean Expat Community for National Disasters

• 목록

A while ago, there was news that the first snow had fallen at Seoraksan. According to the news, it came nine days later than last year. I didn’t see it myself and only read about it, but since it’s one of the clearest signs that winter is approaching, it felt like a kind of reference point.

For context, the first snow at Seoraksan is recorded at the high elevations near the summit, not at the park entrance or the towns around it. It usually comes in October, often as a thin layer, and sometimes mixed with rain. It’s also the first snow in the whole country, so it comes much earlier than in Seoul. Last year, based on the articles I found, it came around October 20. So when I read that this year’s was nine days later, my first reaction was surprise, because I had been thinking that everything this year was ahead of schedule.

That thinking came from how this year’s weather has gone. In March, the cherry blossoms bloomed earlier than I had ever seen. April and May had extreme temperature swings, and the summer forecast pointed to more intense heat and heavy rain. What they had in common was that the seasons kept arriving earlier or running warmer than expected. A late first snow is a different kind of signal.

The autumn foliage records also differed from mountain to mountain. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the first foliage at Seoraksan was observed on September 28, four days earlier than last year. On the other hand, I heard that the foliage on other mountains came later. Foliage came early at Seoraksan, it came late on other mountains, and the first snow at Seoraksan came later than last year. It seems that not everything this year is moving in one direction.

In Seoul, the first snow usually comes later, typically between late November and early December. So the first snow at Seoraksan works as a kind of early notice. I think the cold weather will settle in properly over the next few weeks, but I don’t know exactly when.

In a year when the seasons seemed to keep running ahead, a late first snow feels like a small change. It seems like the heat is starting earlier and earlier, while the cold is arriving a little later.
 

(The photo is an image generated by generative AI.)