South Korea fell under the influence of a “very strong” typhoon on Wednesday, with typhoon warnings broadcast in parts of the south. Authorities are working to respond to one of this year’s strongest typhoons, which is expected to have a direct impact on the capital region later.
The Korean Meteorological Administration said on Wednesday that at 10:30 a.m.
, Typhoon Bavi was 200 kilometers southwest of Seogwipo on Jeju Island, advancing north at a speed of 19 kilometers per hour. The tropical storm had a maximum wind speed of 162 kilometers per hour and an atmospheric pressure of 945 hectopascals in the center.
This year’s eighth typhoon that formed off the east coast of Taiwan last week has grown in strength and intensity in recent days and earned a “very strong” typhoon designation at 9 a.m. Wednesday, 3 a.m. earlier. than originally planned.
The “very high” rating is the second highest rating on the weather agency’s five-point scale introduced in May. KMA predicts that Bavi could turn into a “super strong” typhoon and bring winds stronger than 200 kilometers per hour.
A typhoon with a wind speed of 194 kilometers per hour gains the rank of “super strong”.
Under the influence of a “super strong” typhoon en route, serious damage can be expected, from train derailments to cars and people blown away, KMA warned.
“Bavi could turn into a record breaking typhoon crossing the west coast,” Woo Jin-kyu, a meteorologist with the National Meteorological Agency, told a press conference on Wednesday.
“The wind speed can change over time, but it is clear that the wind will be very strong on the trip north.”
Bavi is similar to Typhoon Lingling in 2019 and Typhoon Bolaven in 2012 in terms of strength and pattern of movement, Woo said. Lingling claimed four lives and caused 33.3 billion won in property damage, while Bolaven claimed 11 lives and 636.4 billion won in damage.
The meteorological agency said it was possible for Bavi to overtake Typhoon Maemi in 2003 in terms of wind speed. Typhoon Maemi then devastated many areas with gusts of up to 216 kilometers per hour.
The tropical storm is expected to make its way up the Yellow Sea, reaching near Seoul early Thursday and passing northwest of Pyongyang later today before extinguishing near Harbin, China on Friday.
During this course, the typhoon is expected to rain up to 500mm over Jeju Island, up to 150mm in Jeolla provinces, and up to 100mm in other areas when in effect. The influence will be greater for the western regions than for the eastern regions due to the typhoon route.
With one of the strongest typhoons of the year in effect.
the National Meteorological Agency issued typhoon warnings for Jeju Island and parts of southern Jeolla province on Wednesday morning. More areas will receive the same warnings later as the typhoon moves north. The Dodgers come halfway
According to current advisories, the 330 flights to and from Jeju International Airport are scheduled until 3 p.m.
On Wednesday they were canceled and other flights could be suspended depending on the impact of the typhoon in the following hours. Gimhae International Airport in southern Gyeongsang province has canceled 54 domestic flights for the same reason.
According to the Korea Shipping Safety Authority, thousands of ships have been docked due to security concerns on Jeju Island and other areas in the south. Traffic has also been restricted for a number of national parks and highways.
In response, the Interior and Security Ministry on Wednesday raised the weather alert level from “caution” to “alert”, the second highest alert level of four, after increasing the level of alert from “caution” to “attention” Monday.
The ministry advised people to stay indoors and district authorities to take preventative measures to minimize damage from the high winds. He also called on emergency evacuation facilities to strictly follow quarantine measures.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun urged the disaster response team at a meeting on Wednesday to do everything possible to minimize the damage to property from the typhoon and keep the death toll to zero.
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