Heavy Rain Since Last Weekend, But Is It Not Yet the Monsoon Season?

[Anchor]

Heavy rain has been falling across Jeju Island since last weekend. However, experts analyze that the monsoon season has not officially begun yet. Attention is now focused on whether the 7th typhoon of the year, "Mekkhala," which is currently moving northward, will become a key variable for the monsoon season.

Here is JIBS reporter Kwon Min-ji.

[Reporter]

Thick streaks of rain are pouring down on Jeju without pause.

Strong winds with instantaneous speeds of around 10 meters per second are also blowing.

Last weekend, more than 100mm of heavy rain fell on Hallasan Mountain.

While the rain has been caused by a pressure trough moving eastward, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) states that it is difficult to view this as the start of the monsoon season.

[Choi Ji-young / Forecaster, Jeju Regional Meteorological Administration: Rain during the monsoon season occurs as the North Pacific High expands, creating conditions where warm, humid air from the south flows in, leading to heavy precipitation.]

Meanwhile, the possibility of a typhoon becoming a variable for this year's monsoon season is being raised.

The 7th typhoon, "Mekkhala," is currently moving northward from the waters near Manila, Philippines.

It is predicted to grow in strength to category 4, passing through the waters southeast of Taiwan and moving up to the waters off Okinawa, Japan.

The outlook for the monsoon season is expected to change depending on the movement of the North Pacific High and the northward progression of the stationary front after the typhoon passes.

[Woo Jin-kyu / KMA Spokesperson: The atmospheric pressure systems around the Korean Peninsula, such as the North Pacific High, will reorganize after the typhoon passes, and the outline of the monsoon season will likely be drawn at that time.]

The average start date for the monsoon season in Jeju is June 19, with an average of 17.5 rainy days and an average precipitation of 348.7mm.

(Video coverage: Oh Il-ryeong, JIBS)

JIBS Kwon Min-ji
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.