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KMA warns of heavy rain and potential landslides

Published: 15 Oct. 2025, 17:04

Pedestrians under umbrellas walk across a road in downtown Seoul on Sept. 16. [YONHAP]

After months of extreme drought, a dramatic shift in weather patterns is now raising flood concerns in parts of Korea, with rainfall far exceeding seasonal averages.

“The drought is over, but now we're releasing water daily to prevent flood damage,” said Kim In-cheol, head of the Obong Reservoir operations office under the Korea Rural Community Corporation in Gangneung, Gangwon.

Obong Reservoir, a key water source for the city of Gangneung, had fallen to a critical low of just over 10 percent capacity by mid-September.

But as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the reservoir’s water level has surged to 85.8 percent, well above the average of 77.4 percent for this time of year. Its elevation now stands at 119.2 meters (391.1 feet), close to the full capacity level of 121.5 meters, prompting nine consecutive days of water release.

This reversal is the result of persistent rainfall across the eastern coastal region of Gangwon, where autumn precipitation has reached monsoon-like levels. Between Oct. 1 and Tuesday, Gangneung received 244.9 millimeters of rain — more than double the city’s monthly average of 113.9 millimeters.

Unlike in the summer, when rain clouds arriving from the Yellow Sea dissipated before reaching the east due to the Taebaek mountain range, fall has brought steady easterly winds that are delivering rain to the East Sea coast.

“In the summer, we didn’t see much northeast wind,” said Woo Jin-kyu, a spokesperson for the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). “But this season, the easterlies are colliding with the mountainous terrain, generating additional rain clouds. We advise caution as the saturated ground raises the risk of landslides, falling rocks and mudslides.”

Cars are moving slowly down the road in Yongin, Gyeonggi on Sept. 16 as heavy rain fell in the region. [YONHAP]

Rainfall is expected to continue nationwide over the coming days. As of Wednesday afternoon, rain was falling over Jeju, southern regions, and eastern Gangwon. It is forecast to spread to the capital region and inland Gangwon overnight.

Precipitation is expected to taper off gradually by Thursday morning. Rainfall amounts are forecast at 10 to 40 millimeters (0.39 to 1.57 inches) in the Seoul metropolitan area and up to 60 millimeters in eastern Gangwon and southern Korea.

The KMA warned that intense rain at rates of up to 20 millimeters per hour could fall in areas such as the Chungcheong, Jeolla, Gyeongsang, and Jeju regions between late Wednesday and Thursday morning.

“Visibility may be significantly reduced and roads may become slippery,” the KMA said, advising drivers to use caution.

Showers may continue intermittently through Saturday, but a noticeable drop in temperature is expected starting Sunday as cold northern air flows in.

Morning lows are forecast to dip to 7 degrees Celsius (44.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in Seoul and as low as 3 degrees in northern Gyeonggi, on Monday. With strong winds expected, the wind chill could feel closer to early winter levels.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHON KWON-PIL [[email protected]]