Rains coming to Korea as wildfires burn, drought continues
Published: 04 Apr. 2023, 17:01
![A helicopter from the Korea Forest Service is mobilized to help contain the wildfire in Hampyeong County, South Jeolla on Tuesday morning. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2023/04/04/d413821d-3bb4-475a-badc-c5c0c9e676e8.jpg)
A helicopter from the Korea Forest Service is mobilized to help contain the wildfire in Hampyeong County, South Jeolla on Tuesday morning. [YONHAP]
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said Tuesday morning that rain was forecast to fall on Jeju Island during the daytime and make its way up to the Jeolla and South Chungcheong regions in the evening, finally affecting the whole country during the night.
The rain will last until Thursday morning, but parts of Gangwon will experience rain until that night.
Through Thursday, Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, South Chungcheong, North Jeolla, the northern inland areas of North Gyeongsang and South Gyeongsang will get about 20 to 60 millimeters (0.8 to 2.4 inches) of rain, according to the KMA.
South Jeolla, the southern coastline of South Gyeongsang, the southwestern inland areas of South Gyeongsang and Jeju Island will get 30 to 80 millimeters of rain.
The southeastern coastline of South Jeolla, South Gyeongsang, southern coastal areas, Mount Jiri and southern Jeju Island will get about 120 millimeters of rain through Thursday, while the higher elevations of Jeju Island will get upwards of 200 millimeters.
“There will be variations in the amount of precipitation each region receives,” said Park Jeong-min, a KMA weather analyst, “but overall, the entire country will get a lot of rain.”
Park said the rain won’t be enough to completely extinguish the wildfires now spreading in the southern regions, though it will be of “tremendous help” in alleviating the drought.
Many parts of Korea have been struggling with drought conditions in recent weeks, with Daejeon, Sejong, South Chungcheong and North Chungcheong receiving less than half the average rainfall.
Incheon and Boryeong, South Chungcheong, haven’t received more than 5 millimeters of rainfall in a day over the past 80 days straight.
With numerous wildfires consuming forests nationwide, fire authorities are hoping that the rain will at least help contain the blaze.
As of Tuesday, at least four major wildfires were detected across the country, one in each Daejeon, South Chungcheong’s Hongseong County, and South Jeolla’s Suncheon and Hampyeong County.
No casualties have been reported so far, though hundreds of people have been evacuated.
The fire in Daejeon, which started at around Sunday noon, was still spreading as of Tuesday at 2 p.m., with fire authorities saying that the blaze was about 82 percent extinguished.
In Hongseong County, the blaze was about 90 percent extinguished as of Tuesday afternoon after spreading for the third day.
The fires in Hampyeong County and Suncheon were spreading for the second consecutive day on Tuesday.
In Hampyeong County, the fire was out about 80 percent as of 3 p.m. on Tuesday. In Suncheon, officials said the blaze was mostly under control.
In all, at least 1,245 hectares (3,076 acres) of forestland have been burned by the four fires.
BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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