File:Snow on the Korean Peninsula (MODIS).jpg

English: Frigid temperatures and heavy snow swept across the Korean Peninsula in late January 2023. Low temperatures in Seoul, South Korea were reported to have dipped to -19.2˚C (-2.6˚F) on January 24 as the city accumulated more than 19 centimeters (7.5 inches) of fresh snowfall. The heaviest accumulation of more than 70 centimeters (27.5 inches) was reported to have blanketed Ulleungo, a small island that sits off the east coast of South Korea.

The winter storm and icy temperatures were reported to have caused bust pipes or water gauges in hundreds of homes in South Korea and closed hiking trails across the country. Flights were cancelled, especially to Jeju Island, located off the southern tip of South Korea. The widespread wintery weather also affected Japan, where as many as six deaths were associated with the storm. The same system also profoundly dropped temperatures in other parts of Asia, most notably in Mohe, China’s most northerly city. On January 22, the temperature dropped to a staggering -53˚C (-63.4˚F)—the coldest temperature ever recorded in that Country. On the same day, Yakutsk, Russia recorded lows of -62.7˚C (-80.9˚F), which was the coldest temperature in over 20 years.

On January 27, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of snow lingering across the Korean Peninsula. The heaviest accumulation covers western North Korea while southern South Korea appears snow-free.