Typhoon Jongdari poised to hit Korea with heavy rain and storms

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Typhoon Jongdari poised to hit Korea with heavy rain and storms

Published: 19 Aug. 2024, 14:11 Updated: 20 Aug. 2024, 11:48

Waves crash against the port's seawall in Chiba-ken, Japan, in 2018 as the previous Typhoon Jongdari made landfall in the region. [YONHAP]

Typhoon Jongdari formed near Japan's Okinawa early Monday morning and is expected to bring rain to the Korean Peninsula through Tuesday, Korea’s state weather agency said.

The typhoon developed around 3 a.m. on Monday, approximately 290 kilometers (180 miles) southwest of Okinawa, and is currently moving northward toward western Korea.

It is expected to dissipate by early Wednesday morning, about 60 kilometers from Seosan, South Chungcheong, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

As of 9 a.m. on Monday, Typhoon Jongdari, named after the Korean word for skylark and chosen by North Korea's weather agency, has a central pressure of 998 hectopascals (hPa), with maximum sustained winds of 68 kilometers per hour and a wind radius of 240 kilometers.

Due to the typhoon, several regions across the country, including northern Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and Jeju Island, are forecast to experience rain showers on Monday. Some areas may see heavy downpours of up to 30 millimeters (1.18 inches) per hour, along with thunderstorms and lightning.

Typhoons have been slow to approach the Korean Peninsula this summer due to a persistent heat wave gripping the nation. Initially, Typhoon Jongdari was expected to remain only a tropical cyclone.

A typhoon is a type of tropical cyclone — a rapidly rotating storm that forms over tropical oceans and can vary in speed, size and intensity, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

When the maximum sustained wind speed exceeds 116 kilometers per hour, the storm is classified as a hurricane, typhoon or tropical cyclone, according to the WMO. However, in Korea and Japan, a tropical cyclone is called a typhoon when its maximum sustained wind speed exceeds 61.2 kilometers per hour.

BY WOO JI-WON, LEE HAY-JUNE [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]