• Atmosphere
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.3-18
• /
• 2004

A heavy snowfall event occurred over the middle part of the Korean peninsula on March 4, 2004. The numerical models of KMA failed to forecast this heavy snowfall event because this event was due to small scale disturbance by low lever convergence and atmospheric instability. The analyses for this heavy snowfall have been performed to give forecasters useful suggestions for forecasting heavy snowfall events in the future. The analyses for the snowfall event were recounted by the Hourly Korean Peninsula Analysis Weather Chart (HKPAWC) presenting on the KMA intranet system. We confirmed that warm air flows of low level into south central Korea in conjunction with strong southwesterly winds played important role in the heavy snowfall event. We suggested several check points to improve the forecast of heavy snowfall events in the future through the results of the analyses.

• Journal of Korea Planning Association
• /
• v.53 no.6
• /
• pp.117-130
• /
• 2018

Heavy snow is a natural disaster that causes serious economic damage. Since snowfall has been increasing recently, there is a need for measures against heavy snowfall. In order to make a policy decision on heavy snowfall, it is necessary to estimate the precise amount of damage by heavy snowfall. The direct damage of the heavy snow is severe, however the indirect damage caused by the road congestion and the urban dysfunction is also serious. Therefore, it is necessary to estimate indirect damage of snowfall. The purpose of this study is to estimate the effects on the regional economy from the limitation in traffic logistics caused by heavy snow using the transport demand model and inoperability input-output Model. The result shows that the amount of production loss caused by the heavy snow is KRW 2,460 billion per year and if the period of snowfall removal is shortened by one day or two days, it could be reduced to KRW 1,219 or 2,787 billion in production loss.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.93-101
• /
• 2012

PURPOSES : Adverse weather conditions such as heavy rain, heavy snowfall, and thick fog and so on have highly affect on the change in traffic conditions on the road. In particular, heavy snowfall causes capacity reduction as well as crash occurrence. This study investigated the effects of snowfall on speed on a freeway. METHODS : Vehicle detection systems data were matched with corresponding weather station data by regression analysis. RESULTS : The results show that the travel speed is reduced by 6.7% under little snowfall and by 12.8% under heavy snowfall. Regarding the speed variation, 8.7% and 114.7% increases are observed under little snowfall and heavy snowfall, respectively. It is also found that 1 cm increase in snowfall leads to 0.4% decrease in travel speed. In addition, the travel speed increases by 0.4% when the temperature increases by $1^{\circ}C$. CONCLUSIONS : It is expected that the outcome of this study will be useful in establishing more effective strategies for winter operations and road maintenance in practice.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
• /
• v.45 no.3
• /
• pp.319-341
• /
• 2010

The purposes of this study are to classify heavy snowfall types in the Republic of Korea based on fresh snowfall data and atmospheric circulation data during the last 36(1973/74-2008/09) snow seasons and to identify typical surface synoptic climate patterns that characterize each heavy snowfall type. Four synoptic climate categories and seventeen regional heavy snowfall types are classified based on sea level pressure/surface wind vector patterns in East Asia and frequent spatial clustering patterns of heavy snowfall in the Republic of Korea, respectively. Composite analyses of multiple surface synoptic weather charts demonstrate that the locations and intensity of pressure/wind vector mean and anomaly cores in East Asia differentiate each regional heavy snowfall type in Korea. These differences in synoptic climatic fields are primarily associated with the surge of the Siberian high pressure system and the appearance of low pressure systems over the Korean Peninsula. In terms of hemispheric atmospheric circulation, synoptic climatic patterns in the negative mode of winter Arctic Oscillation (AO) are also associated with frequent heavy snowfall in the Republic of Korea at seasonal scales. These results from long-term synoptic climatic data could contribute to improvement of short-range or seasonal prediction of regional heavy snowfall.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.340-347
• /
• 2017

This study deducted institutional improvement factors for respond of heavy snowfall disaster and performed AHP analysis for choosing the priority. The result of Analysis, establishment of plan concerned heavy snowfall respond was represented most important factor(Importance : 0.461), this is meaningful establishment of plan is more important than facilities, sources, policies for building system of heavy snowfall respond. Establishment of plan concerned respond was represented most important element(Comprehensive Importance : 0.175) in plan for heavy snowfall respond, it is suggested that establishment of respond plan of heavy snowfall has to need for improving law and institution about heavy snowfall. The result of this study will be useful when the central or local government establish institutional improvement plan for respond of heavy snowfall disaster.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.49 no.3
• /
• pp.33-40
• /
• 2007

This study is to grasp and analyse the temporal and spatial distribution of record-breaking heavy snowfall rarely occurred in the middle and southwest region of South Korea during March of 2004 and December of 2005 respectively. Snow cover area was extracted using the channels 1, 3 and 4 of NOAA AVHRR images and the snow depth distribution was spatially interpolated using snowfall data of meteorological stations. Using administration boundary and Digital Elevation Model from 1:5,000 NGIS digital map, the snowfall impact was assessed spatially and compared with the reports at that time. The damaged area by heavy snowfall over 15 cm snow depth could be identified successfully within the spatial extent of snowfall area extracted by NOAA AVHRR image.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.125-136
• /
• 2018

Heavy snowfall disasters are the third most serious natural disasters, after typhoon and heavy rainfall disasters, in terms of economic disaster damage in South Korea. The average annual economic damage of heavy snowfall disasters was approximately eighty-eight billion won during the period of 2005-2014. In spite of significant economic damage, there have been few economic studies regarding heavy snowfall disasters in South Korea. The objective of this research is to identify the association between economic damage of heavy snowfall disasters and damage effect factors of snowfall amounts, snowfall days, population densities, and non-urban area ratios using a regression analysis model. Economic damage data sets of heavy snowfall disasters during the period of 2005-2014 were obtained from the Natural Disaster Yearbook published by the Ministry of Public Safety and Security. Weather-related data sets, such as snowfall amounts and snowfall days were collected from the Korea Meteorological Administration. Demographic and urban data sets, including population densities and non-urban area ratios, were provided by the Local Government Yearbook. Outcomes of this study can assist with heavy snowfall disaster management policies of South Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
• /
• v.41 no.4 s.115
• /
• pp.457-469
• /
• 2006

This study aims to understand the characteristics of spatial distribution of snowfall and to analyze its development mechanism in Honam province in Korea. The areas of snowfall in Honan area can be divided into the seven sub-area by snowfall pattern. In the west coastal area of heavy snowfall and the southwest coastal area of heavy snowfall, snowfall develops over reason of ocean by Siberian High while in the northern inland area of heavy snowfall and the southern inland area of heavy snowfall, it develops when a strong Siberian High affects to inland. Then, much snowfall is by a forced ascending due to topography in Namwon, Imsil and Gwangju of the northwestward of the Noryung and Sobaek mountain ranges while it is weak in Jeonju and Suncheon of the low plains and the southeastward. In the mountainous area of heavy snowfall and the south coastal area of light snowfall, cyclone is also one of causes of snowfall. In the southwest coastal area, snowfall is meager than the southwest coastal area of heavy snowfall because this area is far from the west coast. It is confirmed that the snowfall difference of the coast, inland and mountainous area appears by temperature difference of sea surface and 850hPa temperature, wind speed of Siberian High.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.1-14
• /
• 2002

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of heavy and frequent snowfall events on folk houses by selecting those where there are known as heavy or frequent snowfall regions over Korea as cases Youngdong regions is selected as a heavy snowfall region and Bogheung as a frequent snowfall region by analyzing the weather data. Also, actual observation data from the field survey, collected date from interview and some related documents have been analyzed. The folk houses where they locate in heavy or frequent snowfall regions have a concentrated type and a broad kitchen. The kitchen often occupies up about 30∼40% of the whole house and lot. The folk houses used for case studies have some facilities to protect them from heavy or frequent snowfalls. Teuruck in Youngdong regions and Kadaegi in Bogheung are good examples of those facilities. Also, the steeply slanting roofs are common in the heavy or frequent snowfall regions to keep snow from being piled up on them.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.545-556
• /
• 2015

This study is to project the future snowfall and to assess heavy snowfall vulnerable area in South Korea using ground measured snowfall data and RCP climate change scenarios. To identify the present spatio-temporal heavy snowfall distribution pattern of South Korea, the 40 years (1971~2010) snowfall data from 92 weather stations were used. The heavy snowfall days above 20 cm and areas has increased especially since 2000. The future snowfall was projected by HadGEM3-RA RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios using the bias-corrected temperature and snow-water equivalent precipitation of each weather station. The maximum snowfall in baseline period (1984~2013) was 122 cm and the future maximum snow depth was projected 186.1 cm, 172.5 mm and 172.5 cm in 2020s (2011~2040), 2050s (2041~2070) and 2080s (2071~2099) for RCP 4.5 scenario, and 254.4 cm, 161.6 cm and 194.8 cm for RCP 8.5 scenario respectively. To analyze the future heavy snowfall vulnerable area, the present snow load design criteria for greenhouse (cm), cattleshed ($kg/m^2$), and building structure ($kN/m^2$) of each administrative district was applied. The 3 facilities located in present heavy snowfall areas were about two times vulnerable in the future and the areas were also extended.