



By Jung Da-min, Park Si-soo







The Korean Peninsula is in the grip of a cold snap that is expected to continue through the weekend but temperatures may rise next week, the state weather agency said on Thursday.







Seoul's morning low plummeted to minus 11.8 degrees Celsius on Thursday, with a wind-chill factor of minus 18 degrees.







The Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA) has issued a nationwide cold advisory, forecasting Seoul's temperature will drop to minus 13 degrees on Friday morning, while it will be minus 19 in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province.







Average temperatures are forecast to hover below minus 10 until the weekend, KMA officials said.







"The cold cyclone located in the Maritime Provinces is rotating strongly, making the cold air in the northern side of Mongolia ― the air at a height of five kilometers with the temperature being lower than minus 30 degrees Celsius ― move south, with the slow flow of air near mid-latitude making the cold air steadily move south until Sunday," the KMA said.







"The cold wave could continue throughout next week as the air flow moving from the west has slowed due to the development of a blocking high in the northern side of Kamchatka Peninsula."







The KMA expects two to seven centimeters of snow on Jeju Island and in South Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces between Thursday night and Friday afternoon.





