Powerful typhoon nears Korea, landfall forecast for 7 a.m.

Social Affairs

Published: 05 Sep. 2022, 18:23 Updated: 05 Sep. 2022, 18:57

Powerful typhoon nears Korea, landfall forecast for 7 a.m.

An image of Typhoon Hinnamnor captured by an astronaut on the International Space Station and released by NASA Earth Observatory [NEWS1]

Flights were canceled, schools were closed, businesses scrambled for sandbags and communities were told to evacuate on Monday as the nation braced for Typhoon Hinnamnor to make landfall.

The typhoon will likely be one of Korea's strongest storms in decades.

With less than 24 hours until the eye arrives in southeastern Korea, intense rain and winds were felt throughout the country Monday, with many parts under heavy rain and strong wind advisories.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) predicted Hinnamnor to pass through waters off Jeju Island's eastern coast at around 1 a.m. on Tuesday before landing in South Gyeongsang's South Sea coastal areas at around 7 a.m. the same day, two hours earlier than previously expected.

By 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the typhoon will be passing 80 kilometers (50 miles) north-northeast of Busan before skirting past Ulsan and Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang at around noon and moving towards the East Sea.

Exactly how strong the typhoon will be by the time it lands near the country's second most populous city of Busan is still uncertain, the KMA said, but based on currently available data, it will likely be a "strong" typhoon — the third-strongest of the agency's four typhoon categories after "super strong" and "very strong."

A strong typhoon is enough to derail trains and send sign boards and rooftops flying though not enough to cause people and large stones to fly and damage buildings.

As the eye of the typhoon inches closer, heavy rains have been forecast for the entire country Monday and Tuesday.

When Hinnamnor lands on mainland Korea Tuesday morning, strong gusts will be felt within a 400-kilometer radius, weather officials said, enough to impact the entire country.

For most of the country, up to 50 millimeters (2 inches) of rain per hour is forecast for Monday through Tuesday morning, while Jeju Island, the southern coastal areas, eastern coastal areas of South Gyeongsang, eastern Gangwon and the Mount Jiri areas will likely get up to 50 to 100 millimeters of rain per hour.

Winds of 40 to 60 meters per second (89 to 134 miles per hour) will be felt on Jeju Island from Monday afternoon to Tuesday morning and in the southern regions from Monday night to Tuesday morning, the KMA warned.

Winds of 30 to 40 meters per second will be felt in the eastern coastal regions from Monday to Tuesday afternoon.

By Tuesday, 100 to 300 millimeters of rain will have fallen on most of the country. The southern coastal areas, eastern coastal areas of South Gyeongsang, Jeju Island and the Mount Jiri areas will likely have accumulated rainfall of more than 400 millimeters, while in the mountainous region of Jeju Island, more than 600 millimeters of rain is predicted to fall by then.

Workers install barrier walls near Masan Fish Market in Changwon, South Gyeongsang on Monday to prevent damage from Typhoon Hinnamnor. [YONHAP]

Weather authorities on Monday warned that tides near the coastal areas could rise above 15 meters and urged communities nearby to take precautions.

Across the country, the weather agency warned the public not to go outside and check for any signboards or rooftops that could fly away in the strong winds.

On Monday noon, Hinnamnor was 370 kilometers south-southwest of Jeju Island's Seogwipo, moving north-northeast at a speed of 17 kilometers per hour. The central pressure was 930 hectopascals (hPa) with maximum speeds of 50 meters per second, making it a "very strong" typhoon, the second-highest of the KMA's four typhoon categories.

A very strong typhoon, which has maximum winds of 44 to 55 meters per second, is enough to send people and large stones flying, the KMA notes.

A super strong typhoon, the highest category, has winds of 54 meters per second or above and is strong enough to damage buildings.

President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to stay vigilant ahead of Typhoon Hinnamnor's landfall on Monday while talking to reporters on his way to work, stressing that his administration would do its best to protect the lives and safety of the public.

Yoon said he already told his aides to "act first and then report" to him in regards to responding to the typhoon to cut back on formality and increase speed.

In Busan and Changwon, South Gyeongsang, many store owners near the ocean on Monday scrambled to stack sandbags near their businesses to prevent any possible damage.

The government offices of Dong District and Nam District in Busan advised 198 people in 145 households to evacuate, citing potential flooding and property damage. About 100 stores and 33 people in Busan's Haeundae District were also told to evacuate to safety.

Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, who was scheduled to fly to Paris on Monday morning to submit papers for the city's bid to host the 2030 Busan World Expo, canceled his trip and showed up for work at his office, the Busan Metropolitan Government said.

Nearly half of all temporary Covid-19 testing sites across the nation run by the government will close Tuesday to prevent damage.

At least 361 flights that were scheduled for Monday were canceled due to the storm, with the Korea Airports Corporation warning that more cancellations were likely. Jeju International Airport canceled all landing and departing flights from 2 p.m. Monday.

Nearly 90 percent of schools on Jeju Island switched to remote learning on Monday, while the rest chose not to hold any classes at all. On Tuesday, some 80 percent said they were planning to hold remote classes, while the rest won't hold any classes at all or has yet to make a decision.

Many schools in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang, where the typhoon will pass, have made similar calls.

All kindergartens and elementary schools in Seoul will close on Tuesday, while middle and high schools will decide whether to close or hold remote classes.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN, KANG CHAN-SU [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]