[News Terms] Ministry of the Interior and Safety: No 'Weather Drought' Until July

Last Year's Meteorological Drought Days Were 31.4 Days
Average Storage Rate of Agricultural Reservoirs Is 90.4%
Incheon Ongjin, Jeonnam Jindo, and Gyeongnam Tongyeong Are Under Emergency Water Supply

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety forecasted on the 9th that there will be no 'meteorological drought' in the next three months as rainfall is expected to be similar to or greater than the average.

'Meteorological drought' refers to a phenomenon where the rainfall in a specific region is less than the average rainfall, resulting in a dry period lasting for a certain duration (accumulated over the recent six months). The degree of meteorological drought is classified into four levels?'mild, moderate, severe, and extreme'?based on the Standardized Precipitation Index over the past six months.

The bottom of Geumgwang Reservoir in Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, cracked like a turtle shell on May 29, 2022, during a severe drought.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

In Korea, spring rainfall is usually the second lowest after winter. The Siberian High, which is dominant in winter, weakens, and the region is mainly influenced by mobile high-pressure systems and low-pressure systems along the Chinese coast. In late spring, the frequency of mobile high-pressure systems decreases and their movement slows down, causing temperatures to rise and dry, clear days to persist. The dry season continues from mid-May until before the monsoon. Spring in Korea, especially the period just before summer, is a time when water is scarce and droughts frequently occur.

Spring rainfall occurs after a mobile high-pressure system, which has detached from the Siberian High, passes over Korea and is influenced by a low-pressure system originating from the Chinese coast, or from a trough of low pressure between the mobile high-pressure system and the North Pacific High. A strong lower-level jet stream flows over the southern sea of Japan, continuously transporting warm moisture and heat from the south, forming the spring rainfall zone.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has issued drought situation alerts and warnings nationwide from this month through July. Rainfall in May and July is expected to be similar to or greater than the average, while June is expected to be near average.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the number of meteorological drought days last year was 31.4 days, whereas in 2022 it reached 157 days, experiencing an extreme meteorological drought. This was the second worst drought since meteorological drought measurement began in 1973. The southern regions tend to experience relatively more severe meteorological droughts compared to the central regions. Last year, the central region averaged 26 days, while the southern region recorded 36.6 days, more than 10 days longer in meteorological drought.

The average water storage rate of agricultural reservoirs nationwide is 90.4%, which is 115.9% of the average (78.0%). The water storage levels of 20 multipurpose dams and 14 water supply dams, which are major sources of domestic and industrial water, are at 152.9% and 161.9% of the usual levels respectively, with all dams being managed normally.

However, some island areas such as Jung-gu in Incheon, Ongjin-gun, Jindo-gun in Jeollanam-do, and Tongyeong-si in Gyeongsangnam-do are conducting emergency water supply such as transported water due to regional characteristics. The government plans to regularly monitor drought situations weekly through joint efforts of related ministries and agencies and implement drought prevention measures, as the occurrence of meteorological droughts shows significant annual and regional disparities due to climate change.