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A woman looks at high waves at a beach in Gangneung, 163 kilometers east of Seoul, on Aug. 8, 2023, as Typhoon Khanun is forecast to hit the country's southeastern region two days later. (Yonhap) |
Typhoon Khanun is expected to make landfall on South Korea's southern coast this week and proceed northward to North Korea, putting the entire country under its influence and dumping heavy rains nationwide, the weather agency said Tuesday.
Khanun, which was moving northward from waters 300 kilometers south of Japan's Kagoshima as of 9 a.m., is expected to reach 30 km west of the southern coastal city of Tongyeong at 9 a.m. Thursday to make landfall in South Korea, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.
The typhoon may head further north to pass South Korea by early Friday morning and reach 70 km northeast of North Korea's capital Pyongyang at 9 a.m. Friday, the agency said.
Meanwhile, the interior ministry said the government's Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters had raised its disaster readiness alert level up a notch to the highest level of 3 from 2 as of 5 p.m. in response to the typhoon's looming landfall.
When it makes landfall in South Korea, the typhoon may remain very strong in intensity, the weather agency said.
Its central pressure is forecast to reach 970 hectopascals at 9 a.m. Thursday, around the time it is expected to reach South Korea, with maximum wind speeds of up to 126 kilometers per hour, the KMA said.
The latest forecast is an update from the agency's prediction the previous day that the typhoon may make landfall on South Korea's southeastern coast Thursday morning.
Strong enough to bring winds of 15 meters per second or faster across its 300 km radius, Khanun is expected to put the entire country under its influence and will dump downpours nationwide.
Parts of Gangwon Province along the upper east coast of South Korea are forecast to receive rain as heavy as 600 milliliters.
The capital area may see rain between 80 mm and 120 mm while the South and North Jeolla provinces, Jeju Island and the lower east coast areas are expected to receive up to 200 mm of rain.
Less than 200 mm of rain is expected for other parts of the country.
As of 10:30 a.m., a preliminary typhoon warning had been issued across inland areas and most of the ocean around South Korea. The alert will turn into a typhoon warning for Jeju and the south coast region late Wednesday and will be expanded into upper parts of the country by Thursday afternoon, the KMA said. (Yonhap)
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