Gyeonggi faces flooding and power outages after intense rain, lightning

A fierce combination of heavy rain and lightning in Gyeonggi overnight left vehicles flooded and plunged some neighborhoods into darkness.

People abandon their vehicles in a flooded parking lot near Yanggeun Stream in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi, on Monday. [GYEONGGI FIRE AND DISASTER HEADQAURTER]

A fierce combination of heavy rain and lightning in Gyeonggi overnight left vehicles flooded and plunged some neighborhoods into darkness.

Local weather authorities said Tuesday that from Monday noon to 11 p.m. the same day, Yangpyeong received 96.5 millimeters (3.8 inches) of rain, Yeoju saw 96 millimeters and Icheon experienced 57.5 millimeters.

Particularly intense rainfall was recorded around 9 p.m. Monday, with Yangpyeong experiencing 86 millimeters per hour and Yeoju 62 millimeters per hour.

Gyeonggi fire authorities responded to 25 cases of heavy rain-related damage, including fallen trees and flooded roads, on Monday, while the Gyeonggi provincial government reported 23 similar incidents.

At around 9 p.m. Monday, lightning strikes caused power outages in scores of households in Yeoju, which were restored by 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Around the same time, 11 vehicles were submerged in a parking lot near Yanggeun Stream in Yangpyeong-gun, but no casualties were reported as police and fire authorities removed the vehicles.

The Gyeonggi provincial government activated an emergency Level 1 response of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters at 8:50 p.m. Monday, with 651 personnel on emergency duty. This alert was lifted at 11:30 p.m. the same day.

"Rainfall of five to 40 millimeters is expected in the inland areas of Gyeonggi on Tuesday," said a Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) official, advising the public to be cautious of related damages.

In Seoul, Mayor Oh Se-hoon held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss heat wave measures. Oh upgraded the heat wave warning to "serious" as of 9 a.m. Tuesday and activated the city's Disaster and Safety Countermeasures for the first time.

By 5 a.m. Tuesday, the temperature in Seoul was 25.8 degrees Celsius (78.4 degrees Fahrenheit), with a daytime high expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), between May 20 and Sunday, 84 people in Seoul suffered heat-related illness, leading to two deaths.

The city plans to extend the operating hours of cooling areas and actively advertise them to encourage their use.

The KMA said that while the heat wave and tropical nights will persist across the country for the time being, strong rain showers accompanied by gusts of wind, thunder and lightning are expected inland.

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]