People take snowy walk to go to work in Seocho District, Seoul, Nov. 27. Yonhap

More than 16 centimeters of snow blanketed the capital city Wednesday, marking the biggest snowfall in November since modern weather observations began in 1907, the state weather agency said.

As of 7 a.m., Seoul had received 16.5 centimeter of snow, topping the previous record of 12.4 centimeter on Nov. 28, 1972, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.

The new record coincided with the first snow of the season in Seoul.

While standard measurements for the capital city are taken at the Seoul weather station in Jongno Ward, by district, Seongbuk Ward and Gangbuk Ward in the city's north had received 20.6 centimeter and 20.4 centimeter of snow, respectively, as of 7 a.m.

A heavy snow warning was issued in the northeastern districts of Seoul, including Nowon, Seongbuk and Dobong, according to the KMA and the Seoul metropolitan government. A warning is issued when snowfall reaches 20 centimeter within 24 hours.

Snow and rain are forecast nationwide until Thursday morning, though the precipitation will continue into the afternoon in parts of Gangwon Province and North Gyeongsang Province, and until late Friday night in the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces, and on Jeju Island.

A person removes snow off a road near Gyeongbok Palace after parts of the city received more than 20 centimeters of snow overnight in Seoul, Nov. 27. Yonhap

More than 170 households experienced a blackout in Seoul's Seongbuk district at 5:30 a.m., as trees likely fell on telegraph poles and electric wires under the weight of heavy snow, according to the Korea Electric Power Corp.

As of 1 p.m., 40 flights had been canceled and 180 flights delayed at airports nationwide due to the snow, including 75 flights at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, according to the Korea Airports Corp. and Incheon International Airport Corp.

The operations of 96 passenger ferries on 74 routes were halted nationwide, and entry to seven national parks, including those in Mount Bukhan and Mount Seorak, was restricted.

As of 2 p.m., the interior ministry had upgraded the operations of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to Level 2 and raised the heavy snow warning from "caution" to "alert."

The disaster control tower also warned of traffic congestion during the morning and evening rush hours, pile-up accidents on icy roads and safety issues for pedestrians due to the heavy snow.

Interior Minister Lee Sang-min instructed officials to thoroughly conduct snow removal operations.

Starting at 7 a.m., the Seoul metropolitan government began removing snow in cooperation with district governments and relevant agencies, with workers removing snow from the entryways of subway stations and around bus stations.

The city also extended morning and evening rush hour operations on the subway, when trains come in more frequent intervals, by 30 minutes on Lines 2 and 5 through 8, as well as for intra-city buses.

The extended hours will be maintained until Level 2 of the three-tier response system is lifted. (Yonhap)