Seoul, Jan 24 (IANS): The coldest day of the season gripped South Korea on Tuesday, with morning lows dropping to minus 16.4 degrees Celsius in Seoul and to minus 25.5 degrees in the northern county of Cheorwon, the state weather agency said.

The lowest apparent temperature for Seoul was minus 25.5 degrees, while that of Cheorwon was minus 39.3 degrees, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.

A cold wave warning is issued when the morning low is below minus 15 degrees for more than two consecutive days, or when the temperature drops sharply and major damage is expected, Yonhap News Agency quoted the KMA as saying.

Cold wave alerts took effect for most of the country, including Seoul, starting at 9 p.m. the previous day.

The mercury dropped to minus 1.9 degrees in Jeju Island as heavy snowfall, of up to 30-50 cm, is expected to hit the island.

Temperatures in the western port city of Incheon, the central city of Daejeon, the southwestern city of Gwangju and the southeastern port city of Busan were minus 16.2 degrees, minus 11.7 degrees, minus 8 degrees and minus 4.4 degrees, respectively, in the morning.

Morning lows are expected to dip further to between minus 9 to minus 23 degrees on Wednesday, when people start returning to work after their extended Lunar New Year holiday, according to the KMA.