Torrential monsoon rain of up to 200 millimeters (8 inches) is forecast this week even as heat wave advisories and tropical nights persist across much of the country.
A woman shields herself from raindrops as dark clouds hang over Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on July 6.YONHAP
Korea is bracing for a strong monsoon this week, with torrential rain of up to 200 millimeters (8 inches) forecast in some areas, even as heat waves and tropical nights continue to grip much of the country.
A stationary front will push north early Wednesday, bringing widespread rain across the country, according to the Korea Meterological Administration (KMA) on Tuesday.
From Wednesday through Thursday, rainfall is expected to total 50 to 100 millimeters (2.0 to 3.9 inches) in the Seoul metropolitan area and inland Gangwon; 80 to 150 millimeters in Daejeon, Sejong, South Chungcheong and North Jeolla; 50 to 100 millimeters in North Chungcheong; 30 to 80 millimeters in northwestern South Jeolla and northern North Gyeongsang; and 5 to 40 millimeters in the western inland areas of South Gyeongsang.
Parts of North Jeolla, the Chungcheong region and southern Gyeonggi could see more than 150 to 200 millimeters of rain.
The stationary front is expected to shuttle back and forth between central and southern South Korea from Wednesday through Friday.
It will move north into central South Korea from early Wednesday through the daytime, as southwesterly winds ahead of a trough pull it northward, before shifting south again Wednesday night. It is then expected to head north once more on Thursday morning and reach North Korea by Friday afternoon.
The most dangerous stretch is likely to begin Wednesday night, as conditions turn favorable for localized downpours, according to the KMA.
“Cold air trailing the trough will collide with warm, humid air along the edge of the North Pacific High, concentrating rainfall over narrow areas,” said Lee Gwang-yeon, a forecast analyst at theKMA.
Vehicles crawl through the rain in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, on July 6, as the monsoon front brought downpours across the country.NEWS1
South Chungcheong and North Jeolla are expected to be especially vulnerable from Wednesday night through Thursday morning, as the stationary front is forecast to linger over the region before moving north again.
Rainfall could reach 50 millimetersan hour, with some areas seeing more than 200 millimeters in total.
“Very heavy rain is expected overnight and into the early morning, when people are especially vulnerable,” Lee said. “Residents should prepare thoroughly in advance to guard against retaining wall collapses, landslides and other hazards.”
Heavy rain had already hit parts of the country early Tuesday. As of 10 a.m., Geumsan in South Chungcheong recorded the nation's highest rainfall at 93.7 millimeters followed by Yeongdong in North Chungcheong with 86.5 millimeters, Seocheon in South Chungcheong with 68.5 millimeters and Okcheon in North Chungcheong with 66.5 millimeters.
People take shelter beneath a crosswalk shade canopy at the Sejong-daero Intersection in Jongno District, central Seoul, on June 29, when the year's first heat wave advisory was issued.JOONGANG
Despite the rain, forecasters said temperatures aren't likely to drop, since the stationary front is drawing warm, humid air into the Korean Peninsula.
“Heat wave advisories will remain in effect across much of the southern inland region, with tropical nights expected in some areas,” Lee said. “Once the stationary front moves into North Korea on Friday, the North Pacific High is expected to expand more fully, raising the likelihood that heat wave advisories will be extended to most parts of the country.”
Maximum apparent temperatures are forecast to reach 31 to 33 degrees Celsius (87.8 to 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit).
There has also been growing concern over so-called compound disasters, in which heavy rainfall and extreme heat strike at the same time.
“The amount of water vapor the atmosphere can hold increases by about 7 percent for every 1-degree-Celsius rise in temperature,” KMA Commissioner Lee Mi-Seonsaid recently. “That accumulated moisture can then be released all at once during the monsoon season, much like a dam collapsing.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
