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| The road is flooded after a heavy rainfall caused by Typhoon Khanun in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Aug. 10. Yonhap |
Heavy rainfall and strong winds from Typhoon Khanun caused flooding, landslides and extensive facility damage across Korea on Thursday, as it was sweeping the nation from south to north after landing on the southeastern coast in the morning.
The typhoon also forced the cancellations of 355 flights at 14 airports, 161 KTX high-speed trains and 251 regular trains, and the closures of 490 roads, 166 coastal areas, 178 sea routes and 21 national parks nationwide.
No casualties have been reported as a result of the typhoon but 10,641 people have been evacuated to emergency shelters as of 11 a.m., according to government figures. In the central county of Buyeo, a woman in her 30s was taken to hospital after being struck by a falling tree on a road Thursday morning.
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| People struggle to walk through strong winds on a road in Busan, as the powerful Typhoon Khanun made landfall on the southeastern coast, Aug. 10. Yonhap |
A total of 1,579 kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools suspended or curtailed classes, or shifted to online classes due to the typhoon.
Khanun, which landed on the southeastern coast near Geoje at 9:20 a.m., was cutting through the inland regions longitudinally and is expected to reach 40 kilometers east-southeast of Seoul around 9 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
As of noon, it was heading north at a speed of 38 kilometers per hour at a location 20 kilometers south of the southeastern city of Daegu, the KMA said, noting its central pressure is 980 hectopascals, with a maximum wind speed of 104 kph, or 29 meters per second.
The typhoon slightly weakened soon after its landfall and its speed is expected to fluctuate between 19 and 33 kph before crossing the inter-Korean border around midnight, the KMA said, noting the reduced speed may further increase the precipitation and rain-related damage.
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| Traffic is blocked on a road in the southeastern city of Ulsan after a 3-meter-wide and 4-meter-long rock fell from a nearby mountain due to the impact of the approaching Typhoon Khanun, Aug. 10. Yonhap |
The expected path of Khanun is unprecedented as it is to become the first to pass through the Korean Peninsula from south to north since recordkeeping began in 1951. Thus it may stay over Korea for about 15 hours.
All regions, except the southern resort island of Jeju, are put under a typhoon warning or advisory, as the KMA forecast downpours of up to 500 millimeters in northeastern coastal areas and 100 mm to 200 mm in the capital, central and western coastal areas until early Friday morning.
The maximum wind speed hit 34.9 mps in the southern city of Busan in the morning and is expected to reach 15 to 25 mps in the Seoul metropolitan area and 20 to 40 mps elsewhere, the KMA said.
As of late Thursday morning, 30 to 60 mm of rain was falling in southeastern coastal areas and 10 to 30 mm in eastern coastal areas, while strong winds with a maximum instantaneous speed of around 30 mps was blowing on Jeju and southern and eastern coast.
As of 1 p.m., the southeastern city of Yangsan received 348 mm, followed by 342 mm in Changwon, 289.5 mm in Gimcheon, 285.2 mm in Gangneung and 284.5 mm in Chilgok, the KMA said. (Yonhap)
