'Super El Niño' could bring roller-coaster winter weather to Korea

Korea is bracing for a winter of extreme temperature fluctuations, potentially the most volatile on record due to an unusually powerful El Niño phenomenon. Meteorologists warn the coming months could see a "roller-coaster winter," with brief periods of mild weather interrupted by sharp cold fronts. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) reported a dramatic 10-degree drop in morning temperatures on Wednesday, with Seoul dropping to 9 degrees and Daegwallyeong in Gangwon Province plunging to 3 degrees.

While temperatures are forecast to gradually climb above average over the weekend, they are expected to plummet again, with lows as low as 3 degrees by mid-next week, indicating that these dramatic swings are likely to continue. This erratic weather pattern is characteristic of autumn, when high-pressure systems from the north clash with low-pressure systems from the south, often causing dramatic shifts in temperature.

The warm, moist air flowing up from the western Pacific, where sea temperatures are notably higher than usual, is clashing with cold winds blowing down from the north. Such unpredictable weather conditions are anticipated to persist throughout the winter months.