Rain in Jeju and Gyeongsang Areas from 13th to 15th... Showers in Central Regions on the Afternoon of the 13th

Rainfall Continues Centered on Jeju on 13-14th, East Coast on 15th
Jeju Mountains 5-40mm, Gangwon Mountains & Gyeongsang Region 5-20mm
Showers in Seoul and Central Regions on Afternoon of 13th Due to Atmospheric Instability
5mm Rainfall Day Before Naroho Launch, Strong Upper Atmosphere Winds Expected

On the 6th, rain accompanied by strong winds is falling near Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, where citizens are walking with umbrellas. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] On Monday the 13th, rain will fall mainly in Jeju Island, the southern regions, and along the East Coast, with scattered showers forecasted in Seoul and central regions from the afternoon. On the afternoon of the 14th, the day before the Nuriho launch, about 5mm of rain is expected.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) held an occasional briefing on the 12th and forecasted that as a trough moves from the South Sea to the East Sea, 10 to 40mm of rain will fall in the mountainous areas of Jeju until the 15th, 5 to 20mm in the mountainous areas of Gangwon, Gyeongsang region, and Jeju Island, and around 5mm along the East Coast of Gangwon and the southern coast of Jeollanam-do. As the low pressure system moves into the East Sea and easterly winds prevail, rain will continue along the East Coast until the 15th.

Lee Kwang-yeon, a forecast analyst at KMA, explained, "Rain that starts in Jeju Island will expand to the southern coast from the afternoon, and from the evening of the 14th, the precipitation area will extend inland to the Gyeongsang region. Although rain will fall on the East Coast affected by easterly winds, the amount of moisture is limited, and the range of the precipitation area may vary depending on changes in the speed or path of the low pressure system."

Showers are expected in the central regions on the afternoon of the 13th. Cold and dry air from the north moves southward, and the lower atmosphere heats up due to sunlight, causing atmospheric instability and development of shower clouds. As a result, 5 to 30mm of rain is expected in Seoul, northern Gyeonggi, and central-northern Gangwon Yeongseo.

The forecast analyst added, "Due to atmospheric instability, vigorous vertical air movement will accompany thunder and lightning, and if clouds develop locally, there will be significant variations in rainfall amounts depending on the area."

On the afternoon of the 14th, one day before the scheduled Nuriho launch, about 5mm of rain is expected in Bongnae-myeon, Goheung-gun, where the Naro Space Center is located. Although showers are forecasted mainly in inland areas on the 15th, the likelihood of rain near the Naro Space Center is low according to KMA's analysis. Although strong winds are expected in the upper atmosphere on the launch day, they are not expected to affect the launch. The ground criteria referenced for satellite launches are wind speeds of 15 m/s, maximum instantaneous wind speeds of 20 m/s, and upper atmospheric wind speeds exceeding 100 m/s.

The analyst explained, "Jet streams passing over the southern regions at an altitude of 12 km are expected to bring strong winds of about 50 to 75 m/s at 15 km altitude, but these are not expected to exceed limits that would restrict the Nuriho launch."

Until the 15th, there is a possibility of low pressure development due to the influence of cold and dry air moving southward from the north. Even if precipitation is not reflected in the medium-term forecast, showers may occur mainly in inland areas. From the 16th, southerly winds will blow, and temperatures in the lower atmosphere are expected to rise.

The Korea Meteorological Administration explained that the timing of the expansion of the North Pacific High, which directly affects the monsoon, is highly variable, making it difficult to predict the start of the monsoon at this time. The analyst said, "At this point, the variability of the pressure systems across East Asia is very high. Each country's forecast models produce different results at different times, so it is difficult to say whether the monsoon will come earlier or later than usual, and we are carefully analyzing related information."

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