Clouds, rain forecast for Chuseok holiday

The Chuseok holiday is expected to be mostly cloudy with rain in some regions, while cloud cover is likely to make it difficult to see the full moon on Chuseok Day.

“The weather will be clear on [Wednesday and Thursday] before gradually becoming cloudier,” Kang Hye-mi, a forecast analyst at the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), said during a regular briefing Tuesday. “As a trough approaches, we expect the weather pattern to shift as a low-pressure system develops and brings rain.” This year's Chuseok holiday period runs from Thursday through Sunday.

Fog is expected along the west coast and inland areas on Wednesday, and dawn through morning on Thursday. The KMA advised travelers to take extra care on the roads and check ferry and flight operations, as heavy travel is expected during the holiday.

On Chuseok Day, which falls on Friday, skies are expected to become increasingly cloudy nationwide. Rain is forecast from early morning through mainly along the eastern coast and mountainous areas of Gangwon and the northern east coast of North Gyeongsang.

Rain is expected to reach central Korea, including Seoul, late at night. The rain band will then move south and bring showers nationwide in the early hours of Saturday.

The rain is expected to stop in central Korea around Saturday morning, while southern regions and Jeju Island are forecast to see rain from the morning through night that day. Rain on Jeju is expected to continue until Sunday morning.

Rainfall is not expected to be as heavy as the downpours seen during the summer, making significant disruptions to holiday travel unlikely.

Cloudy skies and thick cloud cover are expected to obscure the view of the full moon on Chuseok night, putting a damper on the traditional holiday custom of moon viewing.

“Clouds at the upper, middle and lower levels of the atmosphere are all expected to overlap, causing the cloud cover to gradually thicken and making it difficult to see the full moon even through breaks in the clouds,” Kang said.

Temperatures during the Chuseok holiday are expected to remain around or above seasonal averages.

Seoul will see cool mornings, but daytime temperatures could climb to around 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit) and make it feel warm. Daily temperature swings of around 10 degrees Celsius are expected nationwide, bringing typical autumn weather.

Temperatures are expected to gradually fall after the Chuseok holiday. Daytime temperatures in Seoul are forecast to drop to 21 degrees Celsius by the latter half of next week.

“After the holiday, temperatures are expected to fall to around or slightly below seasonal averages,” Kang said.

BY CHON KWON-PIL [[email protected]]