Temperatures across South Korea are set to climb this weekend after an early-winter chill, while a typhoon is expected to bring rain and strong winds to the southern mainland and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.
Cold air moving down from the northwest sent morning temperatures about 10 degrees lower than the previous day on the 22nd, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. Morning readings fell below freezing in the inland areas of Gangwon State. In Bukchuncheon, Gangwon State, the season's first frost and ice were observed six days earlier than a year earlier.
The cold will persist through the morning of the 23rd before temperatures gradually rise in the afternoon. Milder conditions will continue into the weekend. In Seoul, the morning low on Saturday the 24th is forecast at 13 degrees, with a daytime high of 21 degrees.
Cold air will push south again on Tuesday the 27th, bringing another chill. Morning lows on the 28th will drop to around 1 degree. Cold wave advisories may be issued in some areas.
Over the weekend, Typhoon Champi, the 30th typhoon of the season, will bring rain to the southern mainland. Champi was moving northwest about 710 kilometers southeast of Taiwan on the 22nd and is expected to shift toward Japan's Kyushu on the 24th. It will come closest to South Korea on the 25th before weakening into an extratropical cyclone on the 26th. Landfall in Korea is unlikely, but the storm will draw moisture from the south toward the Korean Peninsula and bring rain.
Rain will begin on Jeju on the night of the 23rd and spread to the southern mainland through the 25th. Parts of the Chungcheong region will also see rain on the afternoon of the 25th. Expected rainfall over the two days from the 23rd to the 24th is 30 to 80 millimeters on Jeju excluding the northern and western areas; 10 to 40 millimeters in northern and western Jeju; 5 to 30 millimeters in Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province; 5 to 20 millimeters in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province; and 5 to 10 millimeters in Jeonbuk State. Strong winds are expected along Jeju's coast and the southern coast, with high waves at sea, and passengers on flights and ferries should check operating information in advance.
The typhoon's track and intensity remain uncertain. Advisories could be issued if parts of the southern waters fall within Champi's strong-wind radius. Should the storm affect South Korea, it would be the latest typhoon on record to do so. The current record belongs to Typhoon Zeb, the 10th typhoon of 1998, which affected the country from Oct. 16 to 18 that year.