Rain to continue until Thursday after Typhoon Jongdari weakens

Infrastructural damage caused by typhoon; including sunken cars, homes and landslides

Pedestrians cross the street near Gwanghwamun Square, as a heavy rain warning was issued across the city Wednesday morning. (Yonhap)

Though Typhoon Jongdari weakened to a tropical depression late Tuesday evening, the Korea Meteorological Administration said on Wednesday that rain will continue to fall, focusing on central regions of South Korea to Thursday.

As of 9 p.m., Tuesday, Typhoon Jongdari weakened to a tropical depression 30 kilometers off the southeastern coast of Heuksando, South Jeolla Province, according to the KMA. The typhoon then passed by Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, at 3 a.m., before dissipating nearby at 9 a.m.

A heavy rain watch was issued across the Greater Seoul area, along with parts of Gangwon Province, South Chungcheong Province and southern coastal areas of South Gyeongsang Province as of 8 a.m., Wednesday. In these regions, it was raining at 20 millimeters per hour, according to the weather agency’s records.

As of 2 p.m., heavy rain warnings were lifted in most regions, with the exception of Cheorwon-gun and Hwacheon-gun in Gangwon Province. In parts of South Jeolla Province and coastal areas near southern regions of Korea, a strong wind watch and a high seas watch have been issued. The weather agency added that 5 to 60 mm of rain per hour accompanied by gusts, lightning and thunder were expected for Wednesday, focused on central regions.

The KMA expects rain to continue sporadically until Thursday, particularly focused in the central regions. The central regions can expect to see up to 20 to 60 mm of rain, while the southern regions and Jeju Island may see up to 5 to 40 mm and 10 to 40 mm of rain, respectively.

Due to Typhoon Jongdari, torrential rains swept through parts of Korea on Wednesday, flooding vehicles, houses and roads and causing landslides.

As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, the Ministry of Interior and Safety reported that a total of 16 vehicles were flooded in roads at Ulsan, which saw up to 142 mm of torrential rain overnight. While some drivers were trapped inside their vehicles for some time, the passengers were eventually able to escape by Wednesday morning.

According to the Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency, a total of 75 reports were made as of 9:10 a.m. on Wednesday regarding accidents caused by torrential rain, including 33 reports on flooded roads, 16 reports of malfunctioning traffic signals and 15 reports of manhole dangers. As of 7:30 a.m., up to 28 reports were also filed to Ulsan Fire Station.

Cars are submerged in a road in Ulsan early Wednesday morning, after up to 142 mm of torrential rain was recorded overnight. (Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency)

At around 5:30 a.m., a landslide occurred in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, causing soil to pile up on top of a road. While no one was injured, the landslide caused traffic disturbances until 7 a.m.

As of 11 a.m., Gimpo Fire Station reported seeing up to 13 reports made. At 10:29 a.m., around 2 metric tons of water were pumped out by firefighters after a house was flooded. Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, saw up to 94.5 mm of rain fall from 5 p.m. on Tuesday until 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

Though typhoon clouds had dissipated as of Wednesday, the Ministry of Interior and Safety is maintaining a level 1 emergency -- the second highest of four, requiring “caution” -- as of 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, with rain expected to fall to Thursday.

While temperatures are expected to be slightly lower on Wednesday and Thursday, the KMA added that heat will continue to grip Korea, with daytime temperatures surpassing 35 degrees Celsius until Friday.

By Lee Jung-joo(lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com)