[Anchor]
There is no rain in sight that could break this heatwave. Typhoon Dolphin, the 13th typhoon of the season, could be a turning point, but forecasts are divided over whether it will head toward China or come closer to South Korea.
Reporter Jeong Gu-hui has the details.
[Reporter]
This is Typhoon Dolphin, the 13th typhoon.
It is currently located far out in the southern waters of Japan, about 1,800 kilometers away from Jeju Island, so it has not yet affected South Korea.
Powerful winds of 43 meters per second are blowing near its center. The typhoon has weakened from category 5, the highest level, down to category 3.
Different countries have issued conflicting forecasts on whether the typhoon will head toward China or move north up the west coast.
First, there is no disagreement that it will move westward toward Okinawa for now.
The US Joint Typhoon Warning Center expects the typhoon to approach the southeastern coast of China at a very slow speed around the 9th.
The Korea Meteorological Administration's forecast is almost identical, though it views the track as moving just a bit closer to South Korea.
On the other hand, Japan has forecast that the typhoon will change direction toward South Korea's western coast after passing Okinawa.
South Korea, the US, and Japan only provide forecasts up to five days ahead, and beyond that point, there are only predictions from supercomputer simulation models released by other countries.
The prediction model by Europe's ECMWF, evaluated as having the highest accuracy in the world, expects the typhoon to dissipate as it makes landfall in China.
The primary cause of the current heatwave in South Korea is the North Pacific high-pressure system positioned to the east of the country.
If the typhoon makes landfall in China, the heatwave will continue under the influence of the North Pacific high.
The US supercomputer predicts the typhoon will make landfall north of Shanghai, while Google AI and the German model predict it will move toward the Yellow Sea close to the Korean Peninsula. In this scenario, there is a possibility it could bring rain to South Korea.
A clearer picture of Typhoon Dolphin's exact path is expected to emerge around the latter half of this week.
(Video Editing: Kim Jun-hee, Video Source: Korea Meteorological Administration, Cheollian Satellite, NOAA, CIRA)
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