Season¡¯s first heavy snow warning posted in Kangwon mountains

Amid the season¡¯s first heavy snow warning issued Thursday in mountainous areas in central and northern Kangwon-do, traffic was prohibited from 5 p.m. on the Mishiryong Pass between Inje and Kosong.

Police earlier prohibited the operation of large vehicles such as buses from 12:30 a.m., only allowing small cars equipped with chains on Mishiryong Pass. However, they blocked all traffic as the temperature plunged in the evening and snow piled up as high as 23.5 centimeters.

Police have had vehicles detour to nearby Chinbu Pass and Han-gye Pass and plan to lift the traffic ban on Mishiryong Friday morning depending on the progress of snow removal work.

As of 4 p.m. Thursday, Taegwallyong Pass recorded 19.4 centimeters of snowfall, Mt. Sorak 23 centimeters and Chinbu Pass 12.7 centimeters. Kangnung District Meteorological Administration forecast that 5-50 centimeters of snow would fall by Friday.

Meanwhile, meteorologists predicted that it would be cloudy Friday across the nation with sporadic rains, but said skies would clear up in the central and Cheju regions in the morning and in western Kangwon-do and southern regions in the afternoon. Morning lows will be 1-9 degrees Celsius, and daytime highs will range from 8 to 14 degrees as they did the previous day.

Ghyung In-Su sunghyun@donga.com