500mm Water Bomb 'Typhoon Khanun' Moving North Toward Seoul... 10,000 Evacuated

Passing through our country for 15 hours
Damage expected to concentrate in the Seoul Metropolitan Area at night

Typhoon Khanun, the 6th typhoon to ever cross the Korean Peninsula from south to north, made landfall in Gyeongnam on the morning of the 10th. Typhoon Khanun is forecasted to slowly move northward throughout the day, bringing over 500mm of rain nationwide. As of 6 a.m. that day, about 10,000 people had evacuated in advance across the country.

On the morning of the 10th, as Typhoon Khanun, the 6th typhoon, moved northward, heavy rain exceeding 60mm per hour poured down in Seongsan-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam. Cars were submerged in water on a road in Naedong. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Khanun reached near Geoje City, Gyeongnam, around 9:20 a.m. that day. The central pressure and maximum wind speed of Khanun were 975 hPa and 32 m/s (115 km/h), respectively, with an intensity level of ‘medium,’ strong enough to blow off roofs.

Khanun is expected to traverse the country from the center, cutting across from left to right over 15 hours. At noon, it will be 50 km southwest of Daegu; at 6 p.m., 20 km north-northeast of Cheongju; at 9 p.m., 40 km east-southeast of Seoul; and around midnight, 40 km north-northeast of Seoul. The northward speed will slow from 34 km/h at landfall to about 20 km/h by midnight when it reaches northern Gyeonggi Province. Accordingly, damage in Seoul and the metropolitan area is expected to be concentrated that night.

The Korea Meteorological Administration issued a typhoon warning nationwide that morning. Heavy rain will expand nationwide along Khanun’s path. Expected rainfall amounts are 150?300 mm (with some areas exceeding 500 mm) in Gangwon Yeongdong; 100?200 mm (with some areas exceeding 300 mm) in Gangwon Yeongseo, the metropolitan area, the five West Sea islands, Chungcheong, Jeonbuk, and Yeongnam; 30?80 mm in Ulleungdo and Dokdo; and 5?40 mm in Jeju. Particularly, Gangwon Yeongdong, the Gyeongsang coast, and western inland Gyeongsang are expected to experience ‘extreme heavy rain’ with hourly rainfall reaching 60?80 mm in some places and generally 40?60 mm per hour.

Maximum instantaneous wind speeds will reach about 40 m/s along the eastern coast of Jeonnam and the Gyeongsang coast; 25?35 m/s in Gangwon Yeongdong, inland Gyeongsang, Honam (excluding the southeastern coast of Jeonnam), the western coast of Chungnam, and Jeju; 20?30 m/s in Incheon, the western coast of Gyeonggi, southern inland Gyeonggi, Gangwon Yeongseo, and inland Chungcheong; and 15?25 m/s in Seoul and northern inland Gyeonggi. These strong winds may cause signs to fall, roof tiles to be torn off and blown away, and even train derailments in some areas.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of 6 a.m. that day, 10,373 people from 7,606 households had temporarily evacuated in 79 cities, counties, and districts across 11 provinces. Roads at 389 locations, 252 riverside parking lots, and 499 riverside areas are under control. Coastal areas at 166 locations are restricted, and 613 trails in 21 national parks have been closed. Major forest trails nationwide, including Jirisan Dullegil and Hallasan Dullegil, will be fully closed until Khanun completely dissipates. The Korea Forest Service upgraded the landslide warning nationwide from ‘caution’ to ‘severe’ at 4 p.m. on the 9th. ‘Severe’ is the highest of the four levels of landslide warnings.

Flights at 14 airports have been canceled for 337 flights. Passenger ships on 98 routes with 128 vessels are also restricted. Railways have suspended 161 KTX high-speed trains and 247 regular trains from the first train of the day.

Meanwhile, K-water (Korea Water Resources Corporation) will begin releasing water from dams such as Chungju, Hoengseong, Imha, Miryang, Yongdam, Boryeong, and Seomjingang from the afternoon of that day to prevent flood damage.

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