Over 200mm of Rain in the Seoul Metropolitan Area... Full Closure of Jamsugyo Bridge, Tancheon Flood Advisory Issued

Heavy Rainfall of 30-50mm per Hour Continues in the Seoul Metropolitan Area
249.5mm in Hwaseong, 110.2mm in Seoul Recorded
Road Flooding Causes Vehicle Restrictions in Multiple Areas

Heavy rain centered on the central region caused the water level of the Jungnangcheon Stream in Seoul to rise on the 30th, resulting in a complete traffic shutdown on the Dongbu Expressway. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] More than 200mm of rain poured in the Seoul metropolitan area from the afternoon of the previous day until 9 a.m. Heavy rain of about 50mm per hour is expected to continue until the morning.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on the 30th, heavy rain warnings are in effect for Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, with very heavy rain exceeding 30-50mm per hour. As the stationary front moves northward, a narrow and strong rain cloud band will cause heavy rain of 30-50mm per hour to continue mainly in Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon Yeongseo until the morning.

The accumulated rainfall from 3 p.m. the previous day to 10 a.m. on this day was 110.2mm in Seoul, 249.5mm in Seosin (Hwaseong), 239mm in Cheorin Yeoksam (Yongin), 227.5mm in Namchon (Osan), and 222mm in Ansan.

Due to the concentrated heavy rain in the metropolitan area, flood warnings were issued for Tancheon and Wangsukcheon. At 9:40 a.m. on this day, a flood warning was issued for Wangsukcheon (Jingwan Bridge), and at 8:20 a.m., a flood warning was issued for Tancheon.

With heavy rain concentrated in Seoul and the upper Han River, the discharge from Paldang Dam increased, and vehicle traffic on the Jamsugyo (Submerged Bridge) was completely restricted from 9 a.m. The water level of Jungnangcheon rose, leading Seoul City to fully close the entire Dongbu Expressway.

Recently, heavy rain has also fallen in North Korea’s Hwanghae Province and Gangwon Province, raising concerns that the water levels of rivers and streams in northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon Yeongseo areas, such as the Imjingang and Hantangang Rivers, will rise.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, due to the heavy rain since the previous day, seven houses were flooded in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and Taean and Cheongyang in Chungnam, and in Chungnam, two commercial buildings and two basements were flooded.

By 7 a.m., more than 200mm of rain had fallen in the Chungcheong region, with 279mm recorded in Seosan, Chungnam, and 245.5mm in Dangjin. Seosan recorded the highest hourly rainfall (105.4mm) since weather observations began and set a new extreme value for daily rainfall (209.6mm).