Yellow dust storm blankets S. Korea; fine dust advisory issued

A massive yellow dust storm blanketed South Korea on Friday, with fine dust advisories issued across many regions, including the greater Seoul area, the state weather agency said. Most central regions recorded fine dust levels exceeding the "very bad" level of over 151 micrograms per cubic meter, with Seoul recording 440 micrograms per cubic meter as of 8 a.m., the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. Gangwon Province and South Chungcheong Province reported 329 and 213 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively, and the central city of Sejong marked 440 micrograms per cubic meter. The hourly fine dust concentration levels peaked to reach 698 micrograms per cubic meter in Cheongna-dong in Incheon as of 6 a.m. A fine dust advisory or warning was issued in the greater Seoul area, parts of Gangwon Province and Chungcheong Province, with the capital area also recording high concentration levels of ultrafine dust particles, according to the weather agency. The yellow dust blown over from the Mongolia n Plateau will continue to affect the air quality until Saturday. The KMA said most parts of the country will see sporadic rain of up to 5 millimeters until the afternoon, warning against getting caught in rain mixed with yellow dust. As of 8 a.m., the morning temperatures ranged from 1 to 10 C, with Seoul recording 6.1 C, Gwangju 8.4 C, Ulsan 10.4 C, and Busan 10.9 C. The morning highs will range from 11 to 21 C, and strong wind will be expected across the country. Source: Yonhap News Agency