Typhoon Jongdari weakens to tropical depression after causing widespread damage across Korea

Typhoon Jongdari weakened to a tropical depression earlier than expected, but still left a trail of damage along its path.

Citizens rush near Seoul Station in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Wednesday morning as Typhoon Jongdari brings heavy rain and strong winds. [NEWS1]

Typhoon Jongdari weakened to a tropical depression earlier than expected, but still left a trail of damage along its path.

By 9 a.m. on Wednesday, the weakened tropical depression was located 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north of Ganghwa County, Incheon.

In Incheon, there have been more than 24 reports of heavy rain-related damage between 8 p.m. Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to Incheon Metropolitan City.

Among these reports, a house in Ganghwa-eup was flooded at 7:36 a.m., prompting emergency responders to drain the water.

Earlier, at 6:16 a.m., a road underpass in Michuhol District was also flooded.

In neighboring Gimpo City, 72.5 millimeters of intense rainfall fell within an hour on Wednesday morning in Daegot-myeon, leading to a “heavy rain emergency” text message being sent at 7:17 a.m.

A similar message was issued for Hwado-myeon in Ganghwa District, Incheon, at 7:30 a.m.

As the typhoon moved northward in the Yellow Sea overnight Tuesday, it severely impacted surrounding areas, with over 1,300 lightning strikes recorded in South Jeolla and Gwangju, causing significant damage.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) reported on Wednesday that 1,349 lightning strikes had hit South Jeolla and Gwangju by Wednesday morning.

The South Jeolla fire department received 23 reports of strong wind-related damage on Tuesday, including fallen trees and potential flooding.

In Gwangju, there were more than nine reports of damage, including malfunctioning traffic lights.

Jeju Island and South Chungcheong, which were also near the tropical depression’s path, experienced heavy rainfall.

Between 5 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Wednesday, Seosan and Taean in South Chungcheong recorded 109.4 millimeters and 109.0 millimeters of rainfall, respectively. During the same period, up to 90.5 millimeters of rain drenched part of Mount Halla in Jeju, where a typhoon advisory had been issued.

At around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters received a report of a man drowning in the sea near Hallim-eup, Jeju City.

The man, who had been snorkeling despite restrictions on shoreline access and certain trekking routes and beaches in western Jeju since 11 a.m. Tuesday, was rescued by a nearby leisure sports store employee and taken to hospital.

As the tropical depression advanced toward the greater Seoul area Wednesday morning, the central region was battered with heavy rain, driven by hot and humid southwesterly winds.

Heavy rain advisories were issued for the Seoul metropolitan area, parts of Gangwon, the southern coasts of South Gyeongsang, as well as South Chungcheong on Tuesday. The west coast of Gyeonggi and the northern coast of South Chungcheong, areas close to the tropical depression’s path, were under heavy rain warnings, according to KMA. Most of the alerts were lifted as of 1 p.m. Wednesday, except for some parts of Gangwon.

Rainfall with gusty winds, thunder and lightning are expected nationwide through Thursday night, with Seoul and parts of Chungcheong possibly seeing up to 60 millimeters of precipitation from Thursday to Friday early morning.

However, the incoming rain will not alleviate the intense heat, as the hot and humid southwesterly winds will keep temperatures from dropping, leading to tropical nights in many areas, including Seoul.

Seoul extended its record for the longest run of tropical nights to 31 consecutive days on Wednesday.

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