Rain not enough to quench ongoing drought

Despite rain over many parts of the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday, it was not enough to quench the ongoing drought, the weather agency said.

From Tuesday afternoon, around 10 to 60 millimeters of rain poured down across the nation. Wednesday brought about 5 to 30 mm of rain in central regions like Gyeonggi Province.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said that at least 70-100 mm of rain is needed to bring an end to the drought in Gyeonggi, South Chungcheong ad South Jeolla provinces where the dry spell has been the most intense.

As of June 5, the national average of accumulated precipitation stood at 166.6 mm, down 47 percent from the previous year, marking the second lowest record since the state began conducting weather forecasts in 1973.

The average amount of water in reservoirs also fell below 50 percent, lower than last year’s 65 percent, government data showed.

As of Wednesday, reservoirs in nine cities and counties including Sejong and Pyungtaek were classified to be in a “serious” state in terms of low water storage.

Even the sporadic showers slated for the upcoming weekend are likely to be not only short of the anticipated amount, but also possibly the last rainfall before the hot and dry midsummer season, according to the Korea Meteorological Agency.

The agency Wednesday said a dry monsoon season is expected this summer, with higher temperatures and less showers. It predicted some 115 mm and 292 mm of rain in June and July, respectively, far lower than last year’s average of 244.6 mm.

“The situation is quite contrary to last summer when there were heavy rain warnings in almost all regions,” the agency said in its report.

In July last year, heavy rainfall pounded Seoul and the central region of the peninsula, forcing some 200 people from their homes. The heavy downpour also caused floods, traffic jams and the collapse of facilities.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)