Typhoon Malou hitting Jeju, south coast today

Typhoon Malou is expected to hit Jeju Island and arrive on the south coast of Yeosu, South Jeolla, this morning, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration yesterday, the second typhoon to hit Korea in less than a week.

According to meteorologists, Typhoon Malou was 150 kilometers (93 miles) off the southwest cost of Jeju and heading north at a speed of 24 meters (79 feet) per second as of 2 p.m. yesterday.

The typhoon, named after the Mandarin word for agate quartz, was regarded as small scale, affecting areas in a 240-kilometer radius, but could grow.

Meteorologists said there will be 50 to 150 millimeters (2 to 6 inches) of rain across the country today while Gangwon, South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang will be hit by heavy rainfalls of 250 millimeters.

“The speed of the typhoon’s movement slowed down to 9 kilometers per hour [5.6 miles per hour] yesterday morning and then accelerated to 16 kilometers per hour yesterday afternoon,” said an official at the KMA. “Malou at the moment is a weak typhoon with a speed of 24 meters per second, but it will become a medium-strength typhoon overnight with a speed of 27 meters per second.”

The state-run KMA yesterday activated typhoon warnings for the south coast of the Yellow Sea at 6 p.m.

“Typhoon Malou’s route is flexible, and there will be a huge disparity in expected precipitation across the country,” the official said, “Keep an eye on the weather agency’s weather reports as there will be 250 millimeters of rainfall in Mount Jiri in South Jeolla that lasts until tomorrow.”

The Jeju Office of Education yesterday ordered its schools to end classes without after-school programs, and it requested them to delay class until 10 a.m. today. Typhoon Malou will near Jeju at midnight and is expected to leave Jeju tonight.

By Kim Mi-ju [mijukim@joongang.co.kr]