"Please, Weather Agency, Please, Sky"... Gangneung Stirs as Up to 60mm of Rain Forecast for the Weekend

Rain Expected from Night of September 12 to 13 Due to Low-Pressure System

Relief is in sight for Gangneung and other parts of the East Coast in Gangwon Province, which have been suffering from an extreme drought, as much-needed rain is forecast to begin on the night of September 12.

Last month in August, the Gangneung Danoje Preservation Society held a rain prayer ceremony at Daegwallyeongsansindang and Daegwallyeong Guksaseonghwangsa in Hoenggye-ri, Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon Province. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Gangwon Regional Meteorological Administration on September 11, rain is expected to fall across the province from the night of September 12 through September 13 due to the influence of a low-pressure system passing over the Korean Peninsula.

Forecast rainfall amounts are 20 to 60 millimeters for the East Coast, including Gangneung, with more than 80 millimeters expected in the northern coastal areas. The inland and mountainous regions of Gangwon Province are expected to receive 30 to 100 millimeters, with some areas possibly seeing more than 120 millimeters.

Afterward, rain is also expected in the Yeongseo region on September 17. There is another chance of precipitation around September 20.

The water storage rate at Obong Reservoir in Gangneung has dropped to the 11% range. Obong Reservoir is a major source of drinking water for Gangneung, supplying 87% of the city’s total water needs, serving a population of 180,000.

According to the Rural Water Integrated Information System of the Korea Rural Community Corporation on this day, the water storage rate at Obong Reservoir was 11.7%, a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from the previous day’s rate of 12%. Despite ongoing emergency water supply efforts mobilizing public, private, and military resources in Gangneung, the downward trend in the reservoir’s water level continues.

On the 9th, Obong Reservoir in Gangneung City, Gangwon Province, has dried up completely, exposing the bottom. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Meanwhile, the local community has decided to hold a Yongshingiwooje, a traditional rain prayer ceremony, to wish for rain. The Anmok Fishing Village Association and others announced that at 4 p.m. on this day, they would hold a ritual to the Dragon King of the East Sea on the Anmok Solbaram Bridge, praying for heavy rain.

They released a notice for the rain prayer ceremony that read, “Recently, there has been little rain in this village, the sky has dried and lost its blue, the mountains are cracked by the wind, the riverbeds are exposed, and the wells are running dry. Therefore, we ask the Dragon King of the East Sea to accept our sincere offerings and the earnest wishes of all the people of Gangneung.”

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