A giant wave crashes against a seawall at Seogwipo Port on Jeju Island, Monday evening. Yonhap

Weather agency expects strong rain, winds to continue until Tuesday

By Ko Dong-hwan

Typhoon Hinnamnor, formed in ocean waters far southeast of Korea on Aug. 28, has been approaching from the south. As of 8 p.m. on Monday, it was 140 kilometers south of Jeju Island, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

Most of the country experienced the effects of Hinnamnor, including heavy downpour and strong winds, Monday. On Monday evening, Jeju saw as much as 40 millimeters of hourly precipitation, while 5 millimeters to 20 millimeters were seen throughout the rest of the country.

Samgakbong Peak on Jeju Island recorded an accumulated precipitation of over 352 millimeters from Sunday to Monday morning. From Monday to Tuesday, mountains on Jeju will see the most rain in the country, accumulating over 600 millimeters, while the rest of the country will see between 100 millimeters and 300 millimeters, according to the KMA.

The KMA further warned Monday that "very strong rain, wind and storm surges" are expected until Tuesday, which will cause "very high waves" in coastal regions of South Jeolla Province, South Gyeongsang Province and Jeju Island.

Extreme weather warnings have been issued in most regions of the country as of Monday evening. The warnings spread to broader regions compared to Monday morning when concerns were more directed toward southern regions of the country including South Jeolla Province and South Gyeongsang Province.

An airplane at Gimpo International Airport is tied to the airport tarmac on Monday to secure its footing and prevent it from being damaged by Typhoon Hinnamnor. Yonhap

Into the late afternoon on Monday, Jeju started seeing worries becoming reality. Trees lining streets were knocked down, and flooding was seen in roads and drainage tunnels. All flights to and from Jeju International Airport scheduled for 2 p.m. and thereafter were canceled. Nine ocean voyage routes connecting the island to other offshore destinations via 12 vessels were also temporarily barred.

Busan, also one of the high-risk areas, temporarily closed its major harbor on Monday. Some 130 residents of areas vulnerable to landslides and flooding were evacuated from their homes as of Monday evening. The city government earlier on Monday advised some 1,000 residents of 690 households to evacuate their homes.

Hinnamnor's course turned abruptly north earlier this month while it was moving west toward Taiwan. The KMA said the typhoon, as the authority forecast before, turned slightly right on Monday afternoon heading toward the East Sea between Korea and Japan. The typhoon is expected to move past Jeju Island's eastern shores on Tuesday at about 1 a.m., and its eye will reach Busan on Tuesday morning, presenting risks of inevitable serious damage in the regions.