Heavy Rain Warning Issued at Least 2 Hours in Advance... Special Alert Issuance Time Advanced

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) plans to issue heavy rain warnings 2 hours before concentrated heavy rainfall by 2026. This is 30 minutes earlier than before.

According to the KMA's performance management implementation plan for this year on the 12th, the KMA plans to extend the lead time for heavy rain warnings to 120 minutes by 2026. This means warnings will be issued about 30 minutes earlier than the recent 5-year (2017?2021) average of 94 minutes.

Last year, the lead time for heavy rain warnings was 78 minutes. The lead time for heavy rain warnings refers to the average difference between the time when rain begins to fall at the level that triggers a heavy rain warning and the time when the heavy rain warning is issued.

Heavy rain advisories are issued when the expected rainfall is 60 mm or more in 3 hours and 110 mm or more in 12 hours. Warnings are issued when the expected rainfall is 90 mm or more in 3 hours and 180 mm or more in 12 hours.

The KMA is promoting a plan to set issuance criteria for various weather warnings, including heavy rain warnings, by region by 2027. Currently, Seoul is divided into four warning zones. From 2024, this policy of dividing warning zones like Seoul will be applied to other special and metropolitan cities.

This year, the KMA aims to reduce the typhoon track forecast error to 195 km, 6 km less than the recent 5-year moving average of 201 km. Last year's error was 185 km, showing higher typhoon forecast accuracy than the United States (240 km) and Japan (222 km). The error refers to the difference between the forecasted typhoon center location 72 hours in advance and the actual center location.

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