Parts of Seoul blanketed in over 20cm of snow, heavy snow warnings issued

As the residents of Seoul, South Korea slept on during the early hours of Nov. 27, the sky was hard at work.

People woke up to a winter wonderland, with the first snowfall of the season having come a month before Christmas.

By 7am, Seoul was blanketed under a record-breaking 16.5cm of snow, said the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

The last snowfall that had even come close was way back in November 1972, which saw the city covered in 12.4cm of snow.

Heavy snow warnings issued

The surreal sight of the city in white didn't come without some concerns.

Measurements taken at 7am showed that Seongbuk and Gangbuk in the city's north were buried under 20.6cm and 20.4cm of snow respectively.

A heavy snow warning was issued in the northeastern districts and mountainous areas, according to local media.

Roads, electricity, flights affected

About 170 households in Seongbuk experienced a blackout at 5:30am.

This was likely due to the heavy weight of snow causing trees to topple onto telegraph poles and electric wires, explained the Korea Electric Power Corp.

As of 1pm on Nov. 27, 220 flights and 96 passenger ferries had been either cancelled or delayed, said The Korea Times.

Apart from the air and sea, those on the road were also warned of traffic jams during rush hours and accidents on icy roads.

Meanwhile, authorities have been working to clear snow from subway entrances and bus stations to ease the flow of transport.

This bout of snowfall is expected to persist till Nov. 28.

Top images via ru_in _seoul/TikTok, jacquelinewrm/TikTok and saif_ullah7878/TikTok