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Gangneung receives rain, but drought conditions still persist in area

Published: 15 Sep. 2025, 18:03

The exposed ground at Obong Reservoir, which supplies 87 percent of tap water in Gangneung, Gangwon lies parched and cracked on Sept. 14. [YONHAP]

Heavy rain over the weekend briefly lifted water levels at Obong Reservoir, a main drinking water source in Gangneung, Gangwon, but the rebound falls far short of easing the city’s prolonged drought.

Obong Reservoir’s storage rate stood at 16.3 percent as of 11 a.m. on Monday, up 0.6 percentage points from Sunday, according to the Agricultural Water Management Information System. Levels had fallen to a record low of 11.5 percent on Friday, but have since climbed for three consecutive days. It marks the first rebound since July 14.

Gangneung received 112.3 millimeters (4.4 inches) of rain from Friday to Saturday, while areas near the reservoir recorded around 80 millimeters.

The rain lifted water levels by more than 2 meters (6.5 feet), adding an estimated 850,000 tons. With Gangneung residents consuming an average of 80,000 tons per day, the gain amounts to about 10 days’ worth of supply.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said showers are expected across most regions in the country on Tuesday, with rain continuing in some areas on Wednesday.

Northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon could see more than 80 millimeters from Tuesday night through Wednesday. Rain is expected in Gangneung and other mid to southern east coast areas of Gangwon on Wednesday, but forecasters say the 5 to 20 millimeters projected will fall short of the heavy rainfall seen over the weekend.

Residents holding umbrellas watch rain fall over a dry reservoir in Gangneung, Gangwon, on Sept. 13 as the city struggles with severe drought. [YONHAP]

“Gangneung needs both easterly winds and orographic lift for heavy rainfall,” said Woo Jin-kyu, a spokesperson for the KMA. “This time, the upper-level cold air is weaker, so the low pressure will not develop as much and we expect less rain.”

The recent showers helped avoid the worst, but drought conditions persist.

Reservoir levels remain at only a quarter of the seasonal average of 72.1 percent. The KMA projects drought conditions will continue in Gangneung and other parts of eastern Gangwon through mid-October.

“Because we need to get through the winter, we must restore reservoir levels as close as possible to the seasonal average this fall,” said Kim In-yeol, head of the Obong office at the corporation’s Gangneung branch. “We are hoping for more rain.”

Gangneung, meanwhile, will begin a second round of bottled water distribution to all residents on Monday. Each resident will receive two packs of six 2-liter (0.5-gallon) bottles, totaling 7,000 tons, up from the first round. The program now also covers hospital patients and university students.

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.
BY CHON KWON-PIL [[email protected]]