Heavy Rain Spreads Nationwide from Chungcheong; Up to 300mm Expected in Seoul Metropolitan Area

[Anchor]

Heavy rain is forecast to pour across the country starting tonight, Friday, July 17, the first day of the holiday. In particular, extreme rainfall of over 300mm is expected in the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon province, so please take precautions to prevent safety accidents, landslides, and flood damage.

Reporter Jang Min-seong has the report.

[Reporter]

In Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, where a heavy rain advisory was issued early this morning, about 80mm of rain fell in the morning alone, with rainfall reaching 30mm per hour at one point.

The rain, which had been sporadic in some areas south of the Chungcheong region, is expected to expand nationwide starting tonight. Through the day after tomorrow, Sunday, July 19, the last day of the holiday, up to 300mm of rain is forecast for the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon province, and 80mm to over 250mm for the Chungcheong region, with concentrated heavy rain centered on the central regions.

Up to 150mm of rain is expected in the northern part of North Gyeongsang Province, and 20mm to over 100mm in other southern regions.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety held an emergency response meeting today, deciding to preemptively activate the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and dispatch on-site situation management officers to nine cities and provinces where heavy rain is expected.

[Voice: Yoon Ho-jung, Minister of the Interior and Safety: Please thoroughly monitor even the smallest signs of danger. Please monitor and respond actively. As a swift response is essential during dangerous weather conditions....]

Relevant agencies have also begun preparing countermeasures.

The Korea Forest Service raised the landslide crisis alert level from "Attention" to "Caution" for 15 cities and provinces nationwide, excluding Jeju, starting at 1:30 p.m. today.

The alert level was raised due to the increased possibility of landslides in areas where the ground is weakening due to heavy rain.

Gyeonggi Province decided to activate the second stage of emergency duty for its Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters starting at 8:00 p.m. to prepare for the heavy rain.

Safety text messages were sent to various areas with rivers or valleys, such as Gapyeong, Yangpyeong, and Pocheon in Gyeonggi Province; Yanggu and Inje in Gangwon Province; and Cheongyang in South Chungcheong Province, advising campers to avoid camping near water or in the mountains and to evacuate in advance.

Reported by Cho Chun-dong | Video edited by Choi Hye-ran | Graphics by Kang Yun-jeong and Kim Min-young
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.