11 Dead Due to Continuous Monsoon Rains... Rain in Central Region Until Early August

5 Deaths in Southern Busan and Ulsan Followed by 6 Deaths in Central Region Over Last Weekend

Slow Northward Movement of Stationary Front
Strengthened by Moisture Influx

On the 2nd, when a heavy rain warning was issued for the central region, the water level of Tancheon Stream in Songpa-gu, Seoul, rose due to the heavy rainfall. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Eleven people have died due to the monsoon rains that have continued since the end of July.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 3rd, five people died from road flooding and drowning accidents in the southern regions including Busan and Ulsan. Additionally, one person died from heavy rain in the central region over the past weekend, bringing the total number of deaths to six as of 10:30 a.m. today. The number of missing persons is reported to be nine in total, with eight in the Chungbuk area and one in the Gyeonggi area, raising the possibility of an increase in fatalities.

The Central Disaster Headquarters held an emergency inspection meeting regarding the response to the heavy rain and the damage situation, issuing landslide warnings for 11 regions and landslide advisories for 8 regions. They strengthened surveillance of mountain valleys and evacuated about 200 people in advance.

The reason this rain caused significant damage appears to be because the rivers and valleys were already swollen from previous heavy rains, and the ground was weakened. Among the six fatalities, three died from being buried in landslides, one from building collapse, and two were swept away by river flooding and strong currents.

The stationary front intensified and stayed longer than expected, increasing the damage. The stationary front, which moved northward from the southern region, stretches east-west across the central region. While bringing in a large amount of moisture from the southern region, it collides with dry air coming from the northwest, continuously developing strong rain clouds. The stationary front, which was expected to move north to North Korea around midweek, is being blocked due to warm temperatures in the Siberian region causing cold air from the east to descend into South Korea.

Going forward, the central region is expected to experience heavy rain of 50 to 80 mm per hour, with some areas receiving over 100 mm, so caution is necessary to prevent rain-related damage. The expected rainfall until tomorrow (the 4th) is 100 to 200 mm in the central region excluding Gangwon Yeongdong, with some places receiving up to 300 mm.

The stationary front is expected to affect the area until early August as it moves north and south between North Korea and the central region. The stationary front, which is narrow north-south but stretches long east-west, is expected to cause significant regional differences in rainfall. Due to the indirect influence of Typhoon No. 4 'Hagupit,' moisture supply may increase, potentially activating the stationary front further until the day after tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Blue House announced that President Moon Jae-in has canceled his planned vacation schedule and will inspect the response situation to the heavy rain damage today.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.