Pedestrians walk across the rain on Monday at Jongno-gu, central Seoul, as the city saw total rainfall of up to 13.6 millimeters that day. (Yonhap) After the southern parts of South Korea were hit with heavy rain throughout Monday, intense showers are forecast to drench most of South Korea from Wednesday afternoon until Saturday, said the Korea Meteorological Administration on Tuesday.
According to the KMA, heavy downpours are expected across southern parts of Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces as well as North Jeolla Province as the cool, dry air from the northwest clashes with hot and humid air flowing into the Korean Peninsula along the edge of the North Pacific high-pressure system.
As the dry air meets the newly arriving humid air from the south, narrow, elongated rain clouds are expected to form. Regions under this rainband, such as the western parts of Korea’s central region, may experience rainfall ranging between 30 and 50 millimeters per hour.
Between Wednesday and Thursday, the southern parts of Gyeonggi Province, as well as the inland and mountainous regions in southern Gangwon Province, can expect to see collective rainfall ranging between 50 mm and 100 mm, with heavily hit regions seeing more than 150 mm.
Other parts of the Greater Seoul region, excluding the southern parts of Gyeonggi Province, as well as inland and mountainous regions of the central and northern parts of Gangwon Province, may see collective rainfall ranging between 30 mm to 80 mm.
On Thursday, southern parts of the country as well as Jeju Island will also see rain showers as warm, humid air masses originating from tropical regions flow into Korea along the edge of the high-pressure system situated above the peninsula.
Temperatures are expected to feel higher than actual temperatures on Thursday, as warm southwesterly winds bring in moisture into the country along the North Pacific high-pressure system, allowing for humid weather conditions.
The KMA added that heavy, concentrated rain will also be observed nationwide on Friday. Chances of torrential downpours, especially in southern parts of the country as well as on Jeju Island, will be high as dry air gets strongly compressed with tropical moisture from the south.
From Sunday, the North Pacific high-pressure system is expected to expand above the Korean Peninsula, bringing high temperatures and nationwide heat waves.
While temperatures throughout this week will remain slightly above or below average temperatures from previous years, starting Sunday, both high and low temperatures are expected to be well above average.
However, due to the lingering moisture in the atmosphere from the weeklong rainfall, scattered showers and localized downpours are likely to occur during the afternoon in many areas nationwide.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com