Downpours, strong winds hit Jeju, disrupt airport operations

Apricot flowers begin to blossom at a park on Jeju Island on Friday, after rainfall and unusually warm winter weather. [YONHAP]

About 300 millimeters (11.8 inches) of heavy rain soaked Jeju Island's mountain areas amid strong winds over the past day, causing flight cancellations and delays, the weather agency said Friday.

The Jeju Regional Meteorological Administration said a heavy rain warning has been issued for the mountainous areas of the southern resort island, which were pounded by downpours between 119.5 millimeters and 304.5 millimeters for one day until 9 a.m.

The agency has also issued a heavy rain advisory for the island's mid-mountain and southern areas, forecasting an additional rainfall of up to 100 millimeters during the rest of the day.

In addition, a strong wind advisory is in effect for all of Jeju Island, with a high seas watch issued for all seas surrounding the island, except the northern coastal waters.

The maximum instantaneous wind speed reached 29.8 meters per second (66 miles per hour) on top of Mount Halla and 19.3 meters per second over Jeju International Airport, forcing authorities to prohibit entry into the mountain. The strong winds also canceled 17 flights and delayed 10 flights at the Jeju airport as of 9 a.m.

Despite the inclement weather, the temperature surged to 20.7 degrees Celsius (69.3 degrees Fahrenheit) on the island Friday morning, the fourth highest on record for the month of January, the agency noted. It also forecast additional rainfall of 5 to 40 millimeters over the weekend.

Yonhap