Cloudy skies, rain to be observed over Chuseok holiday

Children dressed in hanbok play yutnori, a traditional Korean game often played during the holiday, at a day care center in Busan on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

As South Korea looks forward to welcoming its biggest fall holiday, Chuseok, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Wednesday that it would be marked with cloudy skies and widespread rain across the country.

Starting late Thursday, southern parts of Korea, including South Jeolla Province and Jeju Island, will see showers as a low-pressure system develops over the West Sea.

On Friday, the first day of this year's extended seven-day holiday period, rain clouds will expand over North and South Chungcheong provinces, North and South Gyeongsang provinces, North Jeolla Province and Gangwon Province, before easing later in the evening.

In particular, the KMA warned that southern coastal areas and Jeju Island could see especially heavy rain and strong wind gusts, with up to 100 millimeters of rain projected in the island’s mountainous areas.

Rainfall will begin to subside in most of these regions from Saturday, with the exception of coastal regions in North and South Gyeongsang provinces, eastern parts of Gangwon Province and Jeju Island, where there is a higher chance of rainfall on Saturday morning.

While cloudy skies are forecast nationwide, Greater Seoul, including Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, and Gangwon Province are expected to see showers from late Sunday into Monday, coinciding with the day of Chuseok itself.

Due to the cloudy weather, the KMA forecast that most regions in the country will not get a glimpse of the full moon Monday, while those in western and southern parts of Korea would likely be able to see it briefly around 9 p.m.

The full moon during Chuseok symbolizes a bountiful harvest, abundance and prosperity. Families often gaze at the moon to give thanks for the rest of the year and make wishes for the future.

Other than cloudy skies and rainy weather, the state weather agency added that temperatures are also likely to run above average compared to previous years throughout the weeklong holiday.

Low temperatures from Friday until Oct. 9 are projected to stay around 5 to 8 degrees Celsius higher than usual, ranging between 14 C and 24 C, while high temperatures are expected to hover between 21 C and 29 C, or 2 to 7 degrees above average compared to previous years.