A week of heavy rain will hit the Korean Peninsula with more than 100 milliliters of precipitation expected daily.
People should take extra care to ensure their safety, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Sunday while announcing the weekly weather forecast.
According to the agency, the rain front currently bringing 120 milliliters of precipitation a day will continue until Monday morning and subside for a day. It will then resume in Jeju and spread to the rest of the nation through Thursday. On Monday morning, 20 to 30 milliliters of rain per hour will hit the southern coastal areas, Mount Jiri and Jeju along with thunder and lightning. In some mountainous areas, there will be as much as 80 milliliters of rain per hour, the state agency said.
“The North Pacific high atmospheric pressure brought in warm and humid air, which caused the rain again,” Chung Gwan-young, a KMA official, said.
Paldang Dam in the upper region of the Han River opens up its flood gates to discharge waters on Sunday as heavy rain hit the central section of the nation. (Yonhap News)
On Sunday, after two humid days, 150 milliliters of rain fell on Seoul and the central peninsula. In the mountainmous regions of Gangwon, the amount rose to 200 milliliters.
Seoul authorities blocked four major spots in the city _ Jamsu Bridge of Han River, Olympics road, Cheolsan Daegyo road and Yangjae stream pathway.
The KMA posted heavy rain alerts for some cities in Gangwon Province, Gyeonggi Province as well as Seoul. Heavy rain warnings were issued for Gwangju, Shiheung and Hwaseong of Gyeonggi Province.
The southern part of the country was gripped by a heat wave on Sunday night. Tropical night syndrome, where the temperature rises above 25 degrees Celsius, was reported in Daegu and some other southeastern regions.
The KMA said people needed to be extra alert because of the volatile weather.
“Due to constant rain and humidity, the ground is quite unstable. Excessive rain could result in landslide, collapse of embankments and other natural disasters. People need to be cautious on the maintenance of facilities and are advised to refrain from visiting the mountains, especially on the valleys or other watery places for their own safety,” Chung said.
“As part of the rainy season we will have more sporadic rain throughout the month.
By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)