Typhoon may or may not be coming Korea's way

Social Affairs

Published: 30 Aug. 2022, 17:55 Updated: 01 Sep. 2022, 15:49

Typhoon may or may not be coming Korea's way

An image of Typhoon Hinnamnor captured by the Cheollian 2A satellite on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. The Korea Meteorological Administration warned that the “very strong” typhoon might land in Korea later this week. [YONHAP]

A very strong typhoon might land in Korea this week, less than a month after heavy rains caused massive flooding and at least 14 deaths.

But the Korea Metrological Administration (KMA) stressed it wasn’t absolutely sure whether Typhoon Hinnamnor would hit the Korean peninsula – or even skirt it – based on currently available data.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the typhoon was heading west from the east side of Japan’s southern prefecture of Okinawa.

If Typhoon Hinnamnor does approach the Korean peninsula, it will probably do so around Friday or Saturday, the KMA noted.

The rain that’s been affecting most of Korea since Tuesday was projected to last until early Wednesday morning in the Seoul metropolitan area encompassing the capital of Seoul, the neighboring city of Incheon and the surrounding province of Gyeonggi.

South Chungcheong, North Chungcheong, South Jeolla, North Jeolla and western Gangwon were expected to see rain for a few hours longer.

Eastern Gangwon, South Gyeongsang and North Gyeongsang will experience rain through Wednesday afternoon, the KMA said, while the East Sea coast of North Gyeongsang and coastal areas of South Gyeongsang will experience rain until Wednesday night.

After a pause, the southern parts of mainland Korea plus Jeju Island will likely see rain again around Saturday.

In its 9 a.m. bulletin on Tuesday, the KMA said that Typhoon Hinnamnor was spotted 930 kilometers (577.88 miles) east of Okinawa, moving 32 kilometers per hour westward. The typhoon had central pressure of 945 hectopascals (hPa) and gusts of up to 45 meters per second. Strong winds were blowing within 300 kilometers of its center.

Under the Tuesday 9 a.m. circumstances, the typhoon was strong enough to send people and large stones flying, the KMA mentioned.

Hinnamnor was categorized by the KMA on Tuesday as a very strong typhoon – the second strongest of the agency’s four typhoon categories.

A very strong typhoon has gusts reaching upwards of 44 meters per second. Among the 11 typhoons tracked by the KMA this year, Hinnamnor is the only one that reached this category.

By Sunday at 9 a.m., the typhoon is expected to arrive about 190 kilometers southwest of Okinawa. But where it goes from there is a mystery, the KMA said. It could move toward China, Korea, Japan or waters off either country.

“We expect to see a lot of changes in the typhoon’s path and strength as it passes through waters off Okinawa,” Lee Gwang-yeon, a weather analyst with the KMA told the press on Tuesday. “As of now, there seems to be a higher chance of it moving northward than west.”

Either way, Lee highlighted that the typhoon was prone to grow stronger as it moves along its route.

Earlier this month, Korea was pounded by heavy rains from a rain front for almost a week. Over 8,900 buildings – almost all in Seoul – were reported damaged. Flooding was reported in some 1,754 hectares (4,334 acres) of agricultural land, mostly in South Chungcheong. About 7,600 people were forced to evacuate.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN, CHON KWON-PIL [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]