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| A medical worker at a COVID-19 testing center in Buk District in Gwangju cools off in front of a portable air conditioning device, Friday. After Typhoon Khanun passed, people in the city experienced another heat wave. Courtesy of Buk District Office |
By Ko Dong-hwan
With Typhoon Khanun moving away from the country early Friday, a sweltering heat wave is forecast to return on Saturday.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), temperatures will start rising nationwide, Saturday, due to high humidity from heavy rain caused by the typhoon. The mixture of high humidity and rising temperatures will prompt extreme heat in certain regions.
In Seoul and Gwangju, the highest temperatures will be 32 degrees Celsius and the lowest will be 24 degrees Celsius starting Sunday, while Gangneung in Gangwon Province will also see a high of 30 degrees Celsius and a low of 23 degrees Celsius during the same period.
While the temperatures peak in certain regions, much of the country will largely see clear skies with some clouds throughout the following week, the authority added.
Showers have continued in the country's western and central regions as Khanun lingers. Incheon, western coastal regions and northern Gyeonggi Province are forecast to see the highest precipitation levels with up to 60 millimeters on Saturday. Seoul, southern Gyeonggi, Gangwon Province and South and North Chungcheong Provinces will see up to 40 millimeters, the KMA said.
Another possible downpour in eastern Gangwon, prompted by Typhoon Lan, is expected to sweep past Japan and move closer to the Korean Peninsula next week. The KMA said that the northbound typhoon ― once it leaves Japan next Wednesday ― will meet easterly winds, causing the typhoon's influential zone to extend all the way to Korea.
As of Friday, Lan was approaching Japan from the south carrying very strong winds with a velocity of 158 to 194 kilometers per hour and strong winds of up to 370 kilometers per hour. Lan is forecast to reach southern Japan next Tuesday.
Gangwon, North and South Gyeongsang provinces experienced the most rain from Khanun, between Wednesday and Friday, recording over 400 millimeters of precipitation. Much of the country's inland regions in North and South Chungcheong provinces saw precipitation amounting to 200 millimeters during the cited period.
