첫눈 First Snow

We had our first snow of the year in Suncheon on Sunday, and there's about a quarter-inch on the ground right now. The Korea Times tells us:

The weather agency forecast up to 30 centimeters of additional snow in the region by Monday.

The article, "Heavy Snow Hits Southwest," also tells us:

A heavy snow alert was issued for about 20 cities and counties in the North and South Jeolla provinces. Jeongeup had 22.5 centimeters of snow, with Gochang having 19 centimeters, Gwangju 18 centimeters, Imsil 12.5 centimeters and Gunsan 10 centimeters.

and:

Some 70 ferries remained anchored in port, and dozens of flights were grounded at airports in Gwangju, Muan and Yeosu.

and is accompanied by this picture:



From what I hear it's customary here to send a text message to your boyfriend or girlfriend when the 첫눈 arrives. Having neither, I didn't notice until I ventured out this evening. As I hate cold weather it's a shame, because it was in the 50s for Christmas.

Also from the Korea Times, Korea and China are fighting about Taekwondo (grow up you two), and an actress's suicide is the most shocking news item of the year.

Typhoon Nari in Suncheon

I've posted these pictures elsewhere, but they're worth showing again. They're of Typhoon Nari (태풍나리) as it hit Suncheon, Jeollanam-do between 6 and 7 pm on Sunday, September 18. I was in Gwangju for the afternoon, and as the bus hit the outskirts---around Seo-myeon, north of downtown---the road had about a foot of water mixed with a lot of run-off from hills and fields. The more we got into town the deeper the water, and the blocks around the Intercity Bus Terminal had as much as a meter of water. I had to wade through the muck to get out of the terminal---no buses or taxis were going in or out, and the terminal was basically an island---and ended up walking some 6 kilometers back to my place. I was not happy.













This last photo is of Dongcheon, the river that runs through Suncheon. Normally there are walkingtrails along the river, but in this picture only the tops of the trees are visible, suggesting the water has risen at least 3 or 4 meters.




For comparison purposes, here's a photo taken in calmer weather from nearly the same spot. The walkers on the path add a bit of perspective:



There are another 20 or so visible on my flickr page.