Seoul braces for a very rainy week

Home > National > Social Affairs

print dictionary print

Seoul braces for a very rainy week

Firefighters in Incheon push a car to safety on Monday after heavy rains pounded the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon. [YONHAP]

Firefighters in Incheon push a car to safety on Monday after heavy rains pounded the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon. [YONHAP]

Roads, railways, cars and houses across the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon were inundated Monday as heavy rains pounded the region.
 
The weather authority announced that Monday’s downpours were caused by a stationary front – a boundary between cold and warm air masses that is neither advancing nor retreating.
 
The stationary front is likely to affect the country’s central region through Wednesday, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) announced, producing strong winds, rain, thunder and lightning.
 
Some areas could experience more than 350 millimeters of rain through Wednesday, the KMA noted.
 
On Monday, heavy rain advisories and heavy rain warnings were issued for most of the greater Seoul area and the northeastern province of Gangwon, as the KMA advised people to stay away from rivers and reservoirs and look out for mudslides.
 
The greater Seoul area includes Seoul, the neighboring city of Incheon and the surrounding province of Gyeonggi.
 
Heavy rain advisories are issued by the KMA when precipitation is predicted to exceed 60 millimeters in three hours or 110 millimeters in 12 hours. Heavy rain warnings are issued when precipitation is predicted to surpass 90 millimeters in three hours or 180 millimeters in 12 hours.
 
No casualties were reported.
 
As of 2 p.m. on Monday, about 65.5 millimeters of rain had fallen on Seoul, while Yeoncheon and Pocheon, both in Gyeonggi, received 171 millimeters and 139.5 millimeters of rain, respectively.
 
The country’s central region including Seoul could see a lot of rain on Thursday, the KMA warned, and some areas could see upwards of 500 millimeters.
 
The weather authority said North Korea was likely to get a lot of rain this week as well, possibly causing flooding in some areas if the Imjin River, Hantan River and Bukhan River spill over.
 
South Korea’s southern area won’t be affected by rain this week, though temperatures in the region are expected to rise to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit). The southern resort island of Jeju will experience temperatures up to 36 degrees Celsius, the KMA said.
 
On Monday morning, two people were evacuated after their house in Cheolwon County, Gangwon, was flooded. Four people were rescued after they were trapped by rising waters in a valley in the same region. Nearby, firefighters were dispatched to a gas station to remove nearly 30 tons of water from an underground room.
 
In Gyeonggi, dozens of trees collapsed and some 20 cases of flooding were reported.
 
Firefighters in Incheon said they handled at least 44 cases of flooding in the city.
 
Subway cars passing through Juan Station in Incheon were forced to slow down on Monday afternoon after rails were submerged in water. Operations resumed 20 minutes later and no property damage was reported.
 
Roads in Yeoncheon County and Paju were also blocked for some time after they submerged, making it impossible for cars to pass by.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN, CHON KWON-PIL [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]
Log in to Twitter or Facebook account to connect
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
help-image Social comment?
s
lock icon

To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.

Standards Board Policy (0/250자)