Typhoon Krathon expected to weaken before impacting Korea

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Typhoon Krathon expected to weaken before impacting Korea

Published: 01 Oct. 2024, 17:11 Updated: 01 Oct. 2024, 19:45

LEE SOO-JUNG
lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr

The Korea Meteorological Administration's anticipated route of Typhoon Krathon as of 9 a.m. Tuesday [KOREA METEOROLOGICAL ADMINISTRATION]

Typhoon Krathon, which is expected to impact the country later this week, is predicted to weaken after it passes Taiwan before heading toward the Korean Peninsula.

On Tuesday, the Korea Coast Guard’s Gangwon branch issued an advisory to alert people of coastal safety accidents, anticipating stormier weather across the central East Sea as the typhoon heads northward.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said on the same day that the typhoon was around 520 kilometers (323 miles) southwest of Taiwan’s Taipei at 9 a.m. and slowly moving westward at three kilometers per hour.

The maximum wind speed was traced at 53 meters (174 feet) per second, equivalent to 191 kilometers per hour. Also, the typhoon had a central pressure of 920 hectopascals (hPa) and a wind radius of 380 kilometers at the moment of observation.

The agency classified the typhoon’s intensity as “very strong,” the second-highest level in the five-tier system. Typhoons with wind speeds between 44 and 54 meters per second fall into this “very strong” category, which can knock over heavy rocks or pedestrians.

The KMA predicted that the typhoon would develop into a “super strong” storm at 9 p.m. Tuesday, with a wind speed of 55 meters per second, which is strong enough to collapse buildings.

Its intensity is then forecast to be lowered to a “strong” level with a wind speed of 40 meters per second at 9 p.m. Wednesday and further reduced to a “normal” level with a wind speed of 29 meters per second at 9 a.m. Thursday.

The typhoon will likely make landfall in southern Taiwan on Wednesday morning as a “super strong” storm and sweep the island while advancing northward for 15 to 30 hours.

During a briefing on Tuesday, a KMA forecaster said the mountainous landscape in Taiwan could weaken the storm's intensity.

Beachgoers escape the early autumn heat at Haeundae Beach in Busan on Tuesday before the possible arrival of Typhoon Krathon later in the week. The city's daily high was 28.7 degrees Celsius (83.6 degrees Fahrenheit). [NEWS1]

The forecaster said the storm’s advancing speed could decrease due to the northerly air current, adding that the typhoon could weaken into a tropical depression.

The extent of Khraton’s influence on the country and its landing on the Korean Peninsula are likely to be clearer around Thursday or Friday after the storm exits Taiwan.

By 9 a.m. on Friday, the typhoon is expected to reach waters 180 kilometers east-northeast of Taipei. Further advancing north, it will likely reach waters 280 kilometers northeast of Taipei on Saturday at 9 a.m.

The KMA forecast that the country’s southern and eastern regions would receive rain between Wednesday and Friday due to an inflow of warm and humid air masses blown from the east side of the typhoon. The agency clarified that the rainfall would not be a “direct influence” of the typhoon. The expected precipitation is 80 millimeters (3.1 inches).

The KMA predicted strong gusts at 10 to 15 meters per second over the East Sea starting Wednesday morning. Wave heights are expected to range between two and five meters.

Update, Oct. 1: Added second photo

BY LEE SOO-JUNG, BAE JAE-SUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]