Heavy Rainfall Expected Until Early Morning of the 19th
Widespread Damage Nationwide Due to Torrential Downpours
Heavy rainfall is expected from the night of the 18th through the weekend on the 19th. In particular, southern regions are forecast to receive more than 300mm of rain, requiring special caution.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, rain is expected to fall from the night through the early morning of the following day in southern regions and Jeju Island. In the Seoul metropolitan area, inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon, rain is expected to continue until the morning of the 20th.
The expected precipitation for the two days of the 18th and 19th is as follows: ▲ Gwangju and Jeonnam, Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam: 100-200mm (over 300mm in some areas); ▲ Chungcheong region, Jeonbuk, Daegu, and Gyeongbuk: 50-150mm (over 200mm in some areas); ▲ Jeju Island except the northern part: 20-80mm (over 150mm in mountainous areas); ▲ Northern Jeju Island and Ulleungdo, Dokdo: 10-60mm; ▲ Gangwon and the east coast: 10-50mm.
On the afternoon of the 18th, a guerrilla downpour is pouring at the entrance of Sancheondan in Aradong, Jeju City. Photo by Yonhap News
In the Seoul metropolitan area, inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon, 30-100mm of rain is expected until the morning of the 20th.
An official from the Korea Meteorological Administration stated, "From today through tomorrow, most regions nationwide should be wary of very heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds, thunder, and lightning," and explained, "The stationary front in the central region will gradually strengthen, while atmospheric instability in the southern region is expected to intensify."
Since the 16th, torrential rains have been falling across the country, resulting in widespread damage. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of 6 a.m. on this day, four people have died, one person is missing, there have been repeated cases of flooding on roads and farmland, and more than 5,000 people have evacuated nationwide.
Damage to public facilities has been tallied at 496 cases. The most common was road flooding, with 328 cases, followed by 62 cases of soil loss, 30 cases of embankment loss, three road sinkholes, two river overflows, two rockfalls, one case of station flooding, one retaining wall collapse, and one case of farmland flooding. In addition, there were 28 cases of rice paddy flooding, three cases of abandoned house and wall collapse, one case of residential flooding, one case of retaining wall collapse on private property, and one case of partial damage to vehicles and buildings due to soil runoff.
There have been 45 reports of power outages nationwide; of these, 36 have been restored, while nine are still undergoing restoration work. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters has issued the highest level of disaster warning, 'Severe.' In addition, it has activated Level 3 emergency response, raising the emergency response posture of ministries and related agencies to the highest level.
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